


Elven Ice and Draconic Fire

by Dragaura



Category: Original Work
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Dragons, Elves, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, High Fantasy, Knights - Freeform, M/M, Medieval, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Mythology, Original Universe, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-31 16:23:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 48,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20118046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragaura/pseuds/Dragaura
Summary: "Ice Prince" Rexis Glacira has finally come of age to be assigned a region of the kingdom to watch over in his father's stead. Shortly after arriving to his new home, his world is turned upside down not from the new responsibilities, but due to an encounter with a dragon who takes a liking to him!The boisterous dragon Agni is determined to befriend the stand-offish elf who has given him a place to call home. However, only time will tell how successful he will be as long-buried legends and secrets come into play around the two.





	1. Prologue

Rexis Glacira sighed heavily as he took off his princely crown, setting it down on the small decorative pillow on his dresser. The elven prince then took off the decorations holding his hair back, letting the golden locks drape down across his shoulders. He looked into the mirror in front of him, noting the bags under his cerulean eyes. He knew his father, King Kevir, dealt with much regarding the goings on in the Kingdom of Glace, but he didn’t realize how exhausting it was, how stressful, how much of a physical and mental toll it took.  
And Rexis was simply standing in for one week as his father recovered from an illness. 

Rexis was glad that his father had recovered enough to attend meetings and such that day and would slowly transition back to handling everything as he regained strength, but the prince worried that his father was taking on too much too soon. While long lived and quick to heal, even elves needed to take a break and properly recover from illnesses else their condition would simply get worse again. He had brought this up with his mother, Queen Melia, but she explained that The King was itching to get back to tending to the needs of his people. The prince didn’t protest any further and had simply come back to his room. 

He carefully removed the jewelry that dangled off of his ears, neck, and wrists, setting the pieces gently down beside the crown. It was one thing to dress formally for formal events, another to have to dress that way all day every day. And again he asked himself why was he the one standing in for his father. Sure, he was the eldest still living at home in the capital, but he wasn’t the eldest child. However, his older siblings had their own territories to tend to: one handled the bustling trade ports of the western coast, the other was dealing with rumors of espionage and war from the bordering southern kingdom, and the third… Well, he was already deemed too incompetent to handle anything larger than his own region of the eastern forests and grasslands.

Soon enough Rexis would get his own region of the kingdom to take care of in his father’s stead, representing the populace of that area to his father in quarterly meetings. It was all a part of the kingdom’s tradition to give the princes and princesses experience of leading, to see who would be the best fit to be crowned the next King or Queen. Knowing this, the past week seemed like a bad idea to the elven prince. Rexis didn’t have any real leading experience aside from the directing the knights personally assigned to him, much less over a region of the populace, even less so the whole kingdom! But he stepped up as requested and had made it through with the help of The King’s advisors and The Queen. 

Rexis chuckled to himself. If he hadn’t taken on the task, there was no way the twins younger than him would have been able to handle the responsibility. They were too rambunctious and still maturing, often running off on wild adventures with their friends, only a note left behind of their intentions. Where they were now? It was anyone’s guess. And his youngest sibling was barely an adult, there was no way her gentle heart would be able to handle the stress.

The prince then purposefully derailed his own thoughts as he opened the music box on his bedside table, humming along with the tune as he got ready to turn in for the evening. Tomorrow was going to be another long day and some extra sleep would do the exhausted prince good.

The next morning, Rexis found himself staring at his father in surprise. “Pardon, you want me to do _what?”_ He was currently standing in his father's private office, opposite from where The King sat at his desk. Papers were stacked neatly on each end of the desk, the “To Do” pile being taller than the “Done” pile as per usual. 

“Take charge over the northern mountains and investigate the dragon sightings,” The King repeated, an amused smirk at his son’s reaction tugged at his lips.

Rexis blinked. He felt it was too early in the morning to receive such news, but here he was, right after breakfast, being told something he definitely didn’t expect to hear. “A _dragon,”_ the prince scoffed. “There hasn’t been a dragon sighting in nearly two centuries. The last one left on her own accord to who knows where according to the reports.”

“I know, but take a look at these letters from the citizens in the north,” Kevir handed the prince a stack of papers. He continued as Rexis began flipping through them. “There’s been more than one sighting and a few livestock have disappeared in the past few weeks.”

“… What do you want me to do?” Rexis finally asked after a moment of silence. 

“That is up to you. Whether you make a peaceful arraignment with it, drive it off, or slay it, the choice is up to you according to what you feel is best for your people.” Kevir gave his son a knowing smile. “Consider investigating and handling the dragon situation as your first royal task from me to you as the newly appointed prince of the region.”

“I…” Rexis started, stopped, then sighed. He knew he would be given charge of a region around the time of his “crowning” birthday, when he would be considered eligible for taking up the kingdom’s crown should something happen to The King and his elder siblings, but that was half a year away. Then he wondered if the past week had something to do with the decision to assign him a region sooner than when his siblings got theirs. “Very well. When am I to depart?” 

“This afternoon. I suggest you get acquainted with the populace quickly and handle this situation as soon as possible.” Kevir then handed Rexis letter with the royal seal on it along with official orders for his son’s knights to go with him. “Do not open this until you arrive at the castle there, understood?” 

“I understand.” Rexis then bowed. “Please excuse me, Your Majesty, I must go prepare for my departure.”

“You are excused. Safe travels and good luck, my son. Know that I am simply a letter away.” Kevir smiled warmly to his son as he watched him turn and leave. As much as he hated to see his favored son finally leave the safety of the main castle’s walls, Kevir knew that it was time for his son to begin his own journey into life.

Rexis turned the sealed letter over and over in his hands as he strode through the halls. He had already given the official orders to his knights and left them to prepare their things for relocating. The elf soon found himself outside his mother’s library. Hesitating a moment before knocking, the door suddenly opened before his knuckles even touched the wooden door.  
“Ah!” The startled prince quickly took a step back as his mother peeked out at him with an amused smile. 

“Are you going to stand there all day?” Melia asked with a light laugh. “Come in, Rex. I had the feeling you would want to chat this morning.”

“Ah… Yeah.” Rexis admitted with a bashful smile. He followed his mother into the library. A set of tea awaited them on a small table for two to the right, next to a window that overlooked the castle gardens. As was their usual routine, he pulled the chair out for his mother for her to sit before he took his place on the other chair. 

“I’m going to assume you got your father’s orders since you’re holding that letter.” Melia said with almost a saddened tone as she nodded to the paper in Rexis’ hand. 

“Erm... yes…” Rexis bit his lower lip lightly. “I know they’re official orders but…. Do I have to? My crowning birthday isn’t until-” 

Melia picked up her cup of tea. “Your father and I have been discussing this for the past three days. I don’t want you to leave yet. But, I do understand your father’s reasons. The region of the northern mountains is sorely in need of a prince or princess to guide and represent them. The recent dragon sightings have only made this matter all the more pressing.” Rexis stayed silent as she paused to sip her tea. She continued with a sigh. “We simply do not know if this dragon is a Benevolent or a Destructive dragon yet. Having someone well versed in both offensive and protective magicks, someone of royal blood, would be best to look into the situation and reassure the citizens living there.” 

Melia put her cup down as she leaned forward, placing a soft hand on his cheek. She gave him a reassuring smile. “I know you’ll do well, Rex. This past week has proven that you’re ready for such responsibilities. And if there’s something you’re not sure of, consult the Elders who have been living there and looking over things since your uncle’s passing. Your Knights will be your best confidants. And if you are still unsure and it’s something that can wait a couple days for a decision, send a letter back to your father and I. Alright?”

Rexis leaned his face into his mother’s hand, bracing her delicate hand with his own. “Alright…” He responded quieter than intended. He bit his lip again, not meaning to sound so heartbroken. He knew this day was coming, but he didn’t feel ready to leave home yet. Not so soon. However, he trusted his parent’s judgement and resolved to do his best to fill the role given to him.

“Now drink up! Your tea is getting cold!” Melia broke the tense silence with a light laugh.

“O-oh! Haha, it would be a shame if I let good tea go cold. But don’t forget that I’m your ‘Little Ice Prince’. Cold is what I do.” Rexis chuckled and picked up his own cup of tea, casting a silent spell to lightly frost the edges of the cup in his hands. 

Melia noticed what he had done and laughed again. “That you are, but being specialized in ice magicks makes you all the more suited for the task your father has given you.” The Queen smiled warmly to him before continuing to sip her own tea. 

The two chatted for a while longer, including making plans for his first visit home. Rexis would certainly miss having afternoon tea with his mother every day, but he knew he would have the chance to catch up with her like this whenever he visited. 

After finishing their tea and conversation, Rexis excused himself to pack his belongings for the long trip ahead of him. He tripled checked everything was in order before handing it off to the maids and menservants to pack away in the caravan being prepared for his trip. Rexis took one last walk around the castle gardens with his youngest sister, Aurelia, before the two were called for lunch. After a sizable “farewell lunch”, of which Rexis did not eat much as pre-trip anxiety struck him, the Ice Prince and his knights left the capital for the northern castle and the dragon that had taken up residence in the surrounding mountains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this little prologue! 
> 
> EIDF is a fun story that started as a joke between friends about one of my Warframe OCs looking like an elf in a friend's original project where he appears... And the ideas rolled from there for this "AU of an AU" type story that's turned into something original. 
> 
> While I have this written in GDocs and shared with a handful of people, a friend convinced me to publish it for all to enjoy. At the time of publishing here, I've already written nine chapters and have the overarching plot mostly planned out, so, I hope y'all enjoy the ride!


	2. A New Home

Snow picked up by the wind swirled all around the caravan as it slowly made its way through the Teroni Pass. The tall slopes of the Mirar Peaks loomed over the travelers with the mountains’ peaks hidden by the thick clouds. The caravan had been traveling for about a week and a half and according to their guide they would be seeing the fortified city of Lucir within the hour.

Rexis let out a quiet sigh as he gently pat his horse’s neck, feeling her fatigue as she seemed to slow her pace from the walking speed the caravan was maintaining. “Just a little longer, Belle, we’ll be stopping soon.” The white horse responded to the elf’s reassurance by picking up her pace, matching with the two black horses on either side again. 

The paladin to his right spoke up, her voice warm and gentle. “My prince, you could fall back and let someone else cut the way through the snow.” The older half-elf’s warm brown eyes looked to the prince with concern. She had her platinum blonde hair pulled back into a high ponytail and was wearing her full white and gold-gilded plate armor, black cloak fluttering behind her in the wind. 

Rexis shook his head. “No, I need to be at the front when we arrive, Abigail. While my father sent word ahead of us of our arrival, it would not look favorably on me if I were to appear to lag behind in laziness.”

“I understand but-” Abigail started before her brother interrupted her. 

“I do believe that is Amaranda returning.” The dark knight said with a quiet voice as he nodded towards where they were headed. He then looked to the prince on his right with eyes slightly darker than his sister’s. His black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail that almost blended into his black and gold-gilded plate armor, if not for his white cape. 

“Ah, thank you for keeping watch, Adamenthe.” Rexis nodded to the dark knight before looking forward. Now that she had been pointed out, he finally noticed the white wolf with black markings running towards them. As they neared each other, the wolf veered off the path and circled around to pace with him between his horse and Abigail’s. He looked down to the wolf with a smile. “Anything to report, Ammy?”

The wolf’s bright blue eyes seemed to sparkle a moment before Ammy shifted in appearance to walk beside him. The druid anima smiled happily as her tail wagged. She wore leather shorts and the various beads hanging off her leather, sleeveless crop-top swayed with the wind. Clapping her hands together once, the wolf anthro spoke in a light tone. “Just around the bend is the city gates! I didn’t smell anything odd along the path so we shouldn’t run into trouble between here and there.” 

“I’m glad to hear it. Thank you for scouting ahead for us, Ammy.” Rexis smiled warmly to her. “Go ahead and climb aboard one of the wagons until we arrive.” 

“Will do, my prince!” The wolf chimed happily before heading to the last wagon in the caravan, climbing aboard to sit beside a human mage and striking up a conversation with a dwarf on a nearby black horse.

As reported, the caravan arrived at the city gates just around the bend in the mountain pass. Having been notified by the wolf scout shortly before, a welcoming party stood just outside the open gates. 

As the caravan slowed to a stop before the gates, one of the welcoming group stepped forward. He was dressed in black, elegant clothes with gold embroidery, a white plague doctor’s mask with a feather motif covered his face while his short, dark brown hair framed it, and a black, feathered hat sat atop his head. He wore a black cloak edged with black feathers of varying lengths while a crow was perched on his right shoulder. The elf took off the mask as Rexis began to dismount his horse, revealing handsome features, knowledgeable green eyes and a well-kept, short beard. He spoke with a calm, yet cheerful tone as he bowed politely. “Welcome to the city of Lucir, Prince Rexis. I am happy to see you made it in one piece. I hope you did not run into any trouble along the way here?”

Rexis handed the reigns of his horse to Abigail before walking towards the Head Elder of the Northern Mountains. He gave a warm smile. “Thank you, Blackbird. You are looking well, yourself. And aside from the fresh snow making some areas of the pass treacherous, there were no other issues. I take it you received word from my father of my arrival?”

Blackbird nodded as he put his mask back on, the crow fluttering its wings slightly to keep balance. “Indeed, though only two days ago due to the recent snowstorm. I apologize in advance if you find the accommodations unsatisfactory in the castle but we’ve done what we can with such short notice.” He then took a step back towards the open gate and gestured for the prince to head inside. “However, let’s get you all out of the snow and wind and settled in. You’ve had a long journey and we can go over everything regarding the goings on of the city tomorrow.”

Nodding, Rexis signaled the caravan to follow before turning to elderly elf with an embarrassed smile. “Please lead the way, Blackbird. I’ve studied the maps of the city and surrounding area, but a map doesn’t always translate to reality upon the first visit.”

“I would be happy to guide you, my prince,” Blackbird said with an amused but understanding tone. He then led the way to the minor castle that stood at the center of the city. Despite being late in the evening, many people were bustling about. However, people stopped to watch and chatter as the caravan passed.

Rexis picked up on some snippets, but kept his visible attention on Blackbird and where he was going.

“Mommy, is that the prince?” A little girl asked.

“Yes, see the symbol on the back of his cloak? He’s the Ice Prince of Glace, Prince Rexis Glacira.” The woman by her responded.

“He’s got some big shoes to fill. Following up his uncle and then Blackbird.” Another woman said worriedly.

“Maybe so, but we know how much of a toll looking after the Northern Mountains has been on Blackbird the last few years. Our beloved King wouldn’t send the Ice Prince unless he was ready.” The man by her replied confidently.

“That is true…” The woman said thoughtfully.

“I wonder if he’s called the Ice Prince for his magick or his attitude…” A teen boy scoffed, followed by a grunt of pain. 

“Don’t say that so loudly! Do you _want_ to get in trouble?” Another boy hissed.

Blackbird took Rexis’ attention away from eavesdropping on the crowd as he spoke up again. “I can give you a tour of the city tomorrow morning if you like, Prince Rexis. I’m sure at least the Head Blacksmith, Winstor, and the Head Miner, Marten, will want to meet you. But for now, we have arrived.”

Rexis nodded. “I would appreciate that, yes.” He then looked up at the minor castle, letting out a whistle of admiration. 

The structure was simple and relatively thin as compared to the main castle in the capital, Glace City, but still visibly well kept. Like the main castle, the outer fortified walls separated the castle from the rest of the city. As they passed through the castle gates into the courtyard, the splendor of the castle itself seemed to gleam in the lamplight as the darkness of night began to overtake the waning day. Blue and white granite mined from the nearby mountains ages ago made up structure of the castle, giving the castle a look of being made of ice and snow. A few cylindrical towers stood tall from the two-story base while the central keep was another three stories taller with a large central tower that easily overlooked the surrounding city.

Blackbird chuckled. “While not as impressive as Glace castle, Lucir Castle does have its charm, doesn’t it?” As they approached the main door, a half-orc woman in chainmail armor stepped forward from the group of five standing at the entrance. She bowed deeply as Blackbird introduced her. “Prince Rexis, this is Etha Jokan, Captain of the Northern Guard.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Captain Etha.” Rexis said simply as she stood tall again. He quickly noted how her dark brown, short hair complimented her mahogany skin tone. 

“Well met, my prince.” Etha said solemnly, but her dark brown eyes showed curiosity. She adjusted the two-handed axe slung onto her back as she spoke. “I’ll give you my full report tomorrow, but long story short there have been no dragon or monster sightings in the past few days. I have several groups on patrol for increased security until we know more about what’s going on.”

“Thank you, Etha. I trust you’ll inform me as soon as possible if something out of the ordinary does occur?” Rexis inquired.

“Of course, my prince.” Etha said with a nod to the shorter man. 

“Good, good.” The Ice Prince nodded a few times and then gestured to his paladin Knight. “Captain Etha, this is Abigail Riladin, Head Knight of my personal guard. After we settle in, I’d like you to brief her with regards to these patrols at the earliest convenience for the both of you.” The two women gave confirmation before Rexis continued. “But let’s get out of this cold before night settles in. Blackbird?”

“Of course.” The corvid-affiliated druid nodded to the unasked question and led the way inside as the caravan finished pulling in to the courtyard. Those on horses dismounted and coordination began with the existing staff of the castle to unpack all the supplies brought.

Warmth washed over the prince as he stepped inside. The foyer was brightly lit by well-placed lamps, illuminating the colorful drapes hanging on the columns lining either side of the long hall. An involuntary shiver overtook Rexis as the cold that had gripped his body began to melt away along with the snow that clung to his hair and clothes. 

“So even our beloved Ice Prince can get cold?” Blackbird commented amusedly as the two walked further inside before stopping at the base of the main stairs. 

Rexis chuckled. “I may be attuned to ice magicks, but that doesn’t mean I’m immune!” The elven prince then spotted a young man in dark grey clothes clutching a large, well-worn leather bound book moving quickly down the stairs. The bespeckled, grey-haired human was heading in their direction. Rexis raised an eyebrow to the Head Elder, inclining his head towards the young man. 

Blackbird looked to where Rexis had been looking and gently placed a hand on the shoulder of the nervous-looking young man as he stopped next to the druid. “Ah, allow me to introduce Asher Lystra, my assistant. A wizard still in training, but he’s done well with the duties I’ve given him. I hope he can be of service to you, my prince. Asher, this is Prince Rexis Glacira, the one taking over the royal duties of the Northern Mountains.”

Rexis smiled kindly to the young wizard. “A pleasure, Asher. I’m sure you’ll continue to be of great help.” 

“Th-thank you, sir!” Asher bowed deeply.

“My prince,” an elven man wearing simple, dark-blue clothes approached the trio. “Lakina has assessed the storeroom and informed me that she’s begun the preparations for dinner. Would you like me to go ahead and move your belongings to the master bedroom so that you may unpack in the meantime?”

“Ah, yes. Thank you, Norwik.” Rexis nodded to his personal manservant. “I’m sure Lakina is beside herself having not known what was available ahead of time,” he added with a light laugh. “And be sure to let her know she’ll be taking over the Head Maid duties. I have the feeling she’s already been assessing the castle’s condition so let her know she can begin coordinating what still needs to be done. Likewise, you’ll be taking charge of the servants here.”

Norwik chuckled lightly, blue-grey eyes sparkling in amusement. “You know my sister well, my prince. I’ll be sure to let Lakina know right away, so please excuse me.” With a bow, he left to go complete his given tasks. 

The elven prince turned back to Blackbird and Asher. “While I’m sure every corner of the castle is bustling with activity with so many new residents settling in at once, I would like a quick tour. Unless there are matters you need to attend to at the moment?” 

“None at all, my prince. I would be happy to show you around. Asher, could you go draft a letter to send word to The King that the prince has arrived safely?”

“Yes, of course. Please excuse me, sir.” Asher bowed quickly again to the prince before quickly going to do as requested.

Blackbird gave Rexis a tour of the main areas of the castle, the main library, the grand hall, the dining hall, the sitting room, and so forth until they stood outside the master bedroom. “I’ll leave you to unpack your things and get settled. It may not be quite like what you’re used to, but I hope you find your accommodations satisfactory.” The Elder voiced his worry to the young prince.

“Thank you, Blackbird. I’m sure it will be. Will you be joining us for dinner?” Rexis asked, curious.

“My apologies, but not tonight. I have a previous engagement with the orphanage,” Blackbird explained simply.

“I see. Another time then,” Rexis smiled warmly to the taller elf. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow morning for a tour around the city?”

“Yes, just send word when you are ready. Have a good evening, my prince.” Blackbird gave a polite bow before heading off.

Rexis turned and entered the master bedroom. It was about the size of his own room at the main castle, fully furnished and well kept. It was arranged differently from what he was used to, but given the layout of the windows and the fireplace, he understood why. To his right was a large window with the shutters currently closed. A small sitting area with a couch, a long, low table, and two chairs surrounded the window and the adjacent fireplace that took up the middle of the wall. The fireplace was currently lit with a steady flame, casing a warm light over the room. In the far right corner was a sizable desk and chair, facing the right wall. A large bed sat with the head against the center of the far wall, dark-blue covers neatly tucked over the bed with a silver-embroidered, light blue down comforter folded at the foot of the bed. Matching dark-blue curtains hung from the canopy, drawn back and held to the posts with silver ribbons. Two bedside tables with a single drawer each sat on either side of the head of the bed and his chest of personal belongings was positioned along the foot of the bed. On the left well towards the far corner was the other window, also closed, with a shallow but wide table underneath the sil. Along the rest of the wall from the window sat a dresser, a wide wardrobe, and then a vanity with a mirror and chair. In the near corner to the left of the vanity sat a tall wooden changing screen, effectively closing off the corner itself. A large, plush, dark-blue rug filled the space in the middle of the room, with smaller ones under the sitting area and the vanity. All the furniture was made of warm, medium-colored mahogany.

Curious, Rexis peaked into the wardrobe and found that his clothes had already been unpacked, organized, and put away. “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about that.” Chuckling to himself, he went to the chest that sat at the food of his bed. Opening it, he found his personal belongings, the music box, his favored small potted plant, etc, still in place. He took the time to arrange the items around the room as he saw fit. He put the plant on the table under the left window and the music box on the bedside table towards the desk. Framed pictures of his family now lined the top of the dresser. 

Rexis was nearly done putting everything in its place when there was a knock on his door. “Yes? Come in.” 

Norwik opened the door and came in, bowing slightly. “Dinner is ready, Prince Rexis.” 

“Ah, thank you. And do wait a moment. I know we are both unfamiliar with these halls, but I’d rather not get lost by myself,” Rexis chuckled lightly. 

Norwik smiled amusedly. “Of course, my prince.” The manservant knew well of the prince’s poor sense of direction in unfamiliar places. On more than one occasion he, or one of the prince’s Knights, had to guide the prince when visiting the other minor castles for nearly the entire duration of those two-week trips. 

Rexis finished arranging the pictures on the dresser before picking up a small wooden box and going over to the patient manservant. “Alright, let’s go.”

Norwik led the way down to the dining hall, stopping a couple times along the way to double check the map he was given. Upon entering, Norwik announced the prince’s arrival. The activity in the dining hall paused as the Knights, maids, and servants paid respect to the prince in various ways before continuing on with what they had been doing. The only ones at the table were his Knights, who all stood as he approached. 

Rexis sighed as he sat at the head of the table, waving one hand in a downward motion as he set the wooden box down with the other. “Sit down, sit down. I know things are tense with the move and being somewhere unfamiliar, but that doesn’t mean you five need to suddenly act super formal with me. You know that only makes me feel more on edge.” He added the last comment as he began filling his plate with the various dishes that sat in front of him.

The five Knights did as told. Abigail sat to his immediate left, Adamenthe just beyond her. To his right sat the human mage in violet robes, Lilliana. Just beyond her was an archer-bard dwarf in all leather armor and a green cloak, Sirothes, and Ammy sat to his right.

Rexis kept speaking as they all sat down, looking to Ammy with an amused smile. “And before you ask, yes, nicknames are fine here. This is meant to be our new _home_, it’s not a business trip. If we ever happen to have a political visitor, then we’ll act all formal and such.” Rexis waved a hand dismissively before taking a sip from the cup of water prepared for him. “But so long as we’re living here, you aren’t just my Knights, you’re my family.” 

Rexis looked to each Knight in turn, making sure they all understood. Abigail was also known as Abby, Adamenthe went by Adam, Lilliana was called Lilly, Sirothes was also known as Sirius, and Amaranda was Ammy. 

The wolf anima visibly relaxed in her chair. Out of everyone at the table, Ammy was the one who hated using formal names the most. At least for herself.

Abigail chuckled as she assisted Rexis with getting some food from the platters furthest away from him. “Thank you, Rex. We were actually discussing the use of nicknames and such just prior to your arrival.” She handed his plate back to him. “Glad to know you’re already on the same page as us.” 

Rexis set his plate down and gave the paladin a nod. “If anyone has a problem with it and tries to tell you off for being ‘rude’ or ‘disrespectful’ to me, you can send them my way and I’ll straighten them out myself. However, I hope these help prevent that issue.” The Ice Prince opened up the wooden box and five emblems engraved with his personal crest reflected the nearby candle light. He then handed them out to each Knight, passing Ammy’s down the line since she was sitting the farthest. Abigail and Adam received gold emblems, Ammy received a black-lacquered wooden emblem, while Sirius and Lilly received a silver emblem each. 

“Now.” Rexis commanded their attention away from them examining their respective emblems. “Before you think I’m playing favorites with what the emblems are made of, I took into consideration the colors and materials of the armor and clothing you each tend to wear.”

“We know you don’t play favorites, Rex.” Lilly said calmly, giving a rare smile. “This is a wonderful gift. Thank you.”

“Indeed! It’s a great way to start this new chapter of our lives!” Sirius chimed in, smiling widely. “Maybe I should-”

“_Please_ don’t start an impromptu song at dinner.” Lilly side-eyed Sirius with her usual slight scowl.

Spotting Ammy having trouble pinning the emblem to her top, Rexis got up and went over to her side. “Here, it goes like this.” He showed her how the emblem worked and pinned it to where she was trying to put it - on her crop-top over her heart. 

“Thank you, Rex! My claws were getting in the way…” Ammy smiled sheepishly before perking up as she gazed down at the new decoration for her outfit. “I love it!” 

The prince gave her a pat on the head, smiling. “I’m happy you do!” He then went and sat back down as the others also fixed their emblems to their clothes and armor. 

“You always think everything when it comes to us,” Abigail observed with a thankful tone and smile. 

Rexis smiled warmly back. “Why wouldn’t I? You are not only my Knights, but my closest confidants and friends. My family by choice.” 

“More like assigned to you.” Adam calmly countered, but his amused eyes betrayed his serious poker face. 

“Let’s not get into that, you know what I mean.” Rexis gave Adam a look before the two men started chuckling.

The six had a lively dinner. They discussed everything from the things they saw on the way through the city that they wanted to check out, to overall goals each wanted to accomplish during their time living there, and what they each knew of the area.

Upon retiring to his room for the night, Rexis remembered the letter his father had given him. He had slipped it into the middle drawer of the desk as he unpacked his things earlier, so, he went over and took it back out. Sitting down at the desk, he lit the desklamp and carefully broke the wax seal on the envelope. 

As he took the letter out of the envelope, a necklace with a medium-sized, Dragon’s-Soul gem pendant fell onto the desk. Rexis furrowed his eyebrows as he picked up the necklace by the multicolored gem and held it up to the lamplight, causing the rainbow of colors within to project out onto the surrounding area in a fractal pattern. He had heard of the Dragon’s-Soul gem before and seen pictures of it in books, but had never seen the rare gem himself. After admiring the beautiful sight a little longer, he put the necklace down and unfolded the letter. 

Rexis, my beloved son,

I’m sure you’ve had a long and rather cold trip up to the Northern Mountains and I can tell you for sure that your mother and I miss you dearly already. I hope you didn't run into any trouble along the way and have begun settling in well.

Elder Blackbird has been a lifelong friend of the family. He even mentored me in my youth! As such, I trust him to help guide you should you ever find yourself at a loss of what to do or simply in need of another’s opinion. And as he will likely tell you, there is so such thing as a bad question and it never hurts to ask. So ask as many questions as you need to get yourself situated and ingrained into the daily operations of the region.

This all being said, I have faith in you, my son. You have proven to me that you are more than ready to take on this responsibility and begin walking the path of your own life's journey. And for the love of the gods, _relax_. I do not expect perfection as we are all flawed, even I make mistakes. So know that even if something does not go as planned, your mother and I still love you.

Additionally, you’ll find a Dragon’s-Soul gem enclosed with this letter. There are few within the kingdom’s possession, but I believe it will assist you in your dealings with the dragon. Legends say that it can heal and refine a dragon’s internal mana fountain such that a Destructive Dragon may calm to act almost like a Benevolent Dragon. While given to you as a precaution should the legends be true, I sincerely hope that the dragon is naturally the latter kind rather than the former. I look forward to hearing good news from you regarding this matter.

Good luck and take care,

Kevir Glacira

As Rexis read the familiar handwriting of his father, he began to tear up. Homesickness hadn’t hit him the entire journey there, but as he read the first sentence it dawned on him that this was real. He wouldn’t see his family until the next quarterly kingdom meeting, which was about a month and a half from now. And then the next time after that would be another three months, unless a quick trip was planned sometime between the two meetings. But with how long the travel time was, he wasn’t sure if that was feasible.

He put the letter and gem back into the drawer before folding his arms on the desk and resting his head on his arms. Despite having his family of Knights living there with him, the Ice Prince felt alone for the first time in his life. He hated the unfamiliar feeling but he resigned himself to it, crying alone in the privacy of his new room until the light from the fireplace died down to only the soft glow of embers. 

Feeling the chill settling into the room, Rexis finally got up and got ready for bed. After lighting the bedside lamp and extinguishing the desk-lamp, he unceremoniously flopped onto the comfortable but unfamiliar bed. He quickly reached up and pulled at the ribbons holding back the canopy drapes, the knots unraveling easily to allow the semi-sheer drapes to close off the bed entirely. He then pulled the covers and comforter up over himself, curling up on his side facing the desk. 

The Ice Prince laid there a moment, watching the flickering flame of the bedside lamp through the drapes. It was then he realized the bed was actually larger than his own at the main castle. Not used to having so much space on either side, he scooted over towards the edge of the bed by the lit lamp. Finally, he reached under the drapes and extinguished the bedside lamp. 

Rexis could feel the fatigue of the day settling into his body, but his mind was racing. There was so much to do and much more to learn. If he were honest, he already felt overwhelmed. But he couldn’t show that. He had to keep a strong appearance in front of his region’s people. He had to give them courage and strength in the face of the unknown future. He had to keep an air of knowing what he was doing so that they wouldn’t question him or his father’s judgement of him. He had to step up like how he did for his father recently, but this time he was permanently in this position of power. For the rest of his life he would be determining the fate of people's lives day in and day out. As the ruling prince of the Northern Mountains, he couldn’t let down the Glacians who called these mountains home.

He couldn’t bare to let his father down.

Rexis’ mind fell back to the letter, laughing dryly at the line that stuck out to him most before he repeated it aloud. “For the love of the gods, _relax._” He sighed and turned over in bed, trying to find a more comfortable position. “I will try, father… I will… do my best...” The exhausted prince muttered the last words as sleep finally overtook him.


	3. A Tour of Lucir

Clear skies dawned over the city of Lucir and Rexis went through his morning routine as per usual. Breakfast was lively with anticipation for the day and towards the end of the meal, Rexis sent for Blackbird. The Elder arrived shortly after the prince, his Knights, and Captain Etha were gathered in his new office.

The office was rather large, much to Rexis’ appreciation. The right wall was lined with bookshelves on either side of the central fireplace, containing letters and records for the history of the city. A sizable sitting area in the center of the room with several chairs and a couple couches sat in front of the large flat desk and sizable chair at the back of the room. A large window was centered on the wall behind the desk and chair. Another window sat adjacent to the desk on the left. Shorter shelves containing various artifacts from previous ruling princes and princesses lined the rest of the left wall like a mini museum of the city’s past. Currently both windows were open, filling the room with the bright light of the calm, beautiful morning.

Rexis sat in the chair at his new desk, his Knights either standing or sitting around the room. Etha and Abigail stood on either side of the prince as they examined a map of the area surrounding the city.

Blackbird chuckled, looking over the bright-eyed group waiting for him. “I expected to see more sleepy expressions this morning after such a long trip, but I suppose excitement is quite the remedy!”

Rexis chuckled. “Indeed it is! Aside from Sirius and Ammy who were born and raised in the western town of Malok, the rest of us have never even been to the Northern Mountains before.”

“Well, there will be plenty of time to explore the mountains themselves, so let’s keep to Lucir today. But first, let’s get you properly caught up on what’s been going on.” The druid said as he took an empty seat near the prince’s desk.

“Of course.” The prince nodded. “Though, I would like to do some proper introductions. With all the hustle and bustle last night, I never introduced you to my Knights.”

“Ah, but of course, I would be glad to learn the names of your companions.” The Elder said with a light tone.

Rexis gestured to the paladin on his right. “I know I technically introduced her yesterday, but this is Abigail Riladin, paladin of the light element, the Head Knight.”

Abigail nodded politely to Blackbird. “A pleasure to meet you, sir.”

“Next is her younger brother, Adamanthe.” Rexis looked around Abigail to the man clad in black armor currently leaning against the wall behind her. “A dark knight attuned, of course, to the dark element and one of the two who run reconnaissance for me.” Adam simply nodded his head with the introduction.

The prince then looked across the room at the woman in violet robes who was examining the stacks of books that lined the right wall. “Lilliana Duven is our mage and while she is attuned to the wind element, she is well versed in all the elements and is my personal High Magick tutor.” The mage looked to the Elder over her thin-rimmed glasses, giving him a slight friendly nod despite her perpetual scowl.

Rexis then looked to the two sitting on opposite couches. He gestured to the dwarf first. “Sirothes Konik is an archer attuned to the water element and also a part-time bard. And across from him is Amaranda, a druid attuned to the earth element and my primary scout.”

“A pleasure, my good sir!” The dwarf chimed.

“Um, call me Ammy please.” The wolf anima said sheepishly.

Blackbird nodded to Ammy, confirming that he heard her request. “Allow me to properly introduce myself, then. I am Alwyn Bran, but most people simply refer to me as Blackbird. Corvid druid, master of wind and lightning but I have also dabbled in fire and light. Head Elder of the Northern Mountains and now _former_ Caretaker of Lucir.”

“Former, perhaps, but my father spoke well of what you’ve been doing to keep things going and is grateful to you for stepping up since my uncle’s passing. I’ll certainly be requesting your assistance still as I get a handle on things.” Rexis gladly passed along his father’s praise, looking forward to working alongside someone The King is so fond of.

Blackbird bowed his head in respect for a moment. “I have simply been doing what I can, though I appreciate receiving such high praise from King Kevir. This being said, in my humble opinion such a position is best filled by someone of royal blood and ability like yourself, Prince Rexis. I believe you will do well here.”

“I understand your reasoning, Blackbird. And thank you for your vote of confidence.” He looked around the room before looking to Blackbird again. “Well, shall we begin this briefing?”

Between Etha and Blackbird, they explained the typical routine of the Northern Mountains with regards to mining operations, refining the various gems and metals, and the quarterly shipments of raw materials and refined equipment. Blackbird went on to explain the various ledgers he'd been keeping track of, goods bought and sold, keeping tabs on the populice’s wants and needs, and the general trends of the past few months for fishing, logging, and farming. Etha additionally explained the typical monster migration routes that they knew of, also telling of the few odd instances that occurred outside of those expected times.

Rexis asked plenty of questions as the conversations ebbed and flowed, getting a much better grasp on the duties he would be taking over. They then agreed on a timetable for slowly transitioning those duties over to him, both for him to get used to handling it all and to allow the citizens to get used to seeing him around and comfortable with his rule.

“And now onto the dragon situation,” Etha brought up the heavy topic in the room. “A couple shepherds had reported that a few of their sheep went missing recently, noting the massive clawed footprints left in the snow that have no trail to lead anywhere. This happened over the course of a few days but there’s been nothing more since then. It’s been a little over two weeks.”

Blackbird spoke up. “One of the orphans, a young girl who goes by Evo, spotted the dragon around the same time during the full moon. She told me she saw the silhouette of the large, winged dragon in the sky as it was coming down from the mountain. Needless to say she ran back to the safety of the city walls, so she didn’t see where exactly the dragon went. It’s likely the dragon was coming down to grab a little midnight snack.” He chuckled lightly at his own joke, trying to ease the tension that had settled in the room.

Rexis chuckled slightly at the joke before nodding slowly. “Alright... To me that confirms that a dragon at least passed through the area. The old dragon caves are at the top of the nearby peaks, correct?” The prince looked to the Elder.

The druid nodded. “That is correct. I tried to send a few feathered friends to scout the area, but I’m afraid the bitter cold at that altitude hinders their ability to fly safely. So I am not sure what it is up there without sending a full scouting party. It is why I sent word to your father of the situation. I expected him to send a few knights well versed in handling dragons in case is it one of the Destructive nature, but he clearly wanted you to look into the situation. If all goes well I’m sure the citizens of Lucir will warm up to you quickly for handling this great concern of theirs.”

Rexis sighed. “I’m not doubting that it would be a great way to persuade them to be more amicable to me. But…” He paused, visibly thinking as he sat back in his chair at the desk and brought a hand to his chin. “I’m honestly more worried about their safety rather than their favor.” He looked to Etha. “Could you gather a handful of your best men and any supplies we need for such a trek up the mountainside to the caves tomorrow? The sooner we handle this the better.”

“I will do so, my prince.” Etha confirmed with a nod.

“In the meantime, let’s take our tour around the city. If we happen to run into either the shepherds or young Evo, I would like to talk with them for a first hand account.”

Blackbird nodded. “That sounds like a solid plan, Prince Rexis, and such a meeting can be arranged. Since that is the case, where would you like to visit first? While we are called a city, we’re more the size of a large town. Thus we can easily make a lap around to the main attractions, so to speak, within the time we have left today.”

“I don’t have a personal preference, per se, but perhaps meeting with the heads of the Mining and Blacksmith guilds would be best at whatever time is most convenient for them.” Rexis said as he stood, stretching slightly from sitting for so long.

The corvid druid nodded. “I do know their typical schedules, so I can plan the tour around that.”

“Should we have lunch first, my prince?” Abigail chimed in.

“I figured if we saw something along the tour we could sample some of the local cuisine at the bakeries or the tavern.” Rexis smiled, itching to get out into the warm sun. “Afterall, what better way to get to know the townsfolk than to interact with them candidly?”

“Very well,” Abigail smiled amusedly back.

With that, the group began their tour of the city as led by Blackbird. They stopped by a couple different bakeries and butcher shops, grabbing lunch to go before they continued on towards the smitheries.

Blackbird peaked into the largest smithery, calling out loudly to be heard over the clanging of metal on metal. “Winstor? You here?”

“Aye! One moment, Blackbird!” Came a gruff voice from the back. A few minutes later, a half-dwarf with white speckled, red hair came out to meet them. He had vibrant green eyes surrounded by many laugh lines and heavily scarred lower arms from working with molten metal over the decades. He was wiping his hands on his blacksmith's smock, which was draped over his dark green tunic and brown leather pants, as he spoke. “Something ye need, Black-Oh!” He went wide eyed upon seeing Rexis. “Pardon my manners, my prince. Had I known ye were here, I wouldn’t ‘ave kept ye waitin.”

“It’s fine. I understand you have a tight schedule to keep.” Rexis gave the Head Blacksmith a kind smile.

“I appreciate that, I really do!” He gave a hearty laugh before looking to Blackbird. “Quite the considerate prince we ‘ave, ey?”

“Indeed we do.” Blackbird nodded before looking to the Ice Prince. “Prince Rexis, this is Winstor Holan, Head of the Blacksmith Guild for the Northern Mountains. He’ll be the one reporting to you weekly.”

“Aye. And if there’s anythin’ ye needs, don’t hesitate ta ask. I’m sure we can fit yer order in anytime.” Winstor nodded with a jovial smile.

“Thank you, Winstor.” Rexis returned the smile. “I look forward to working with you and the Guild.”

After a bit more idle chatter, Winstor got back to work and the group continued on their tour. They next visited the Carpenter’s Guild followed by a lap around the main marketplace, where the shops of various craftsmen and women were set up. They then headed down to the farmer’s market and briefly talked with some of the shepherds. Once done there, they headed to the headquarters of the Miner’s Guild.

As the approached, a few off-duty miners spotted the approaching group and scrambled inside. A moment later, a dwarf with grey hair, a medium length beard, blue eyes, and a serious expression came outside. His grey and red tunic and grey pants had soot stains, though the grey color helped hide them. “Well met, Blackbird!” The man called out.

“It is nice to see you as well, Marty.” Blackbird said calmly as the group stopped in front of the large building. He turned to Rexis. “Prince Rexis, this is Marten Renak, Head of the Miner’s Guild. He keeps tabs on all the mining operations in the region. Marty, he’ll be taking over the royal duties over the course of the next couple weeks.”

“It’s been quite some time since we had royalty among us. A pleasure meeting you, my prince.”

Rexis nodded. “Likewise, Marten.”

“Marty’s fine. We’re all family here and any friend of Blackbird’s is a friend of mine.” The dwarf finally put a smile on his face as he put his hands to his hips.

“I see. I appreciate the warm welcome, Marty,” Rexis said with a chuckle.

Rexis then asked Marty some clarification questions he had earlier that Blackbird couldn’t answer for sure. Once the prince was satisfied with his better understanding of the mining operations, the group continued on in their tour. They next headed for the main tavern of the city, The Golden Bucket.

Upon entering the tavern, an older human woman with black and white streaked, braided hair wearing a pastel pink dress waved to the group. “Welcome! Welcome! It’s always a pleasure to see you Blackbird!”

“You’re looking well today, Rhulea. Finally over that illness?” Blackbird asked cheerfully.

“Indeed I am! That tea you gave me worked like a charm!” Rhulea smiled happily.

“That is wonderful news. Though send your thanks to Zia, she gave me that recipe.” Blackbird then turned to the Ice Prince standing beside him. “Prince Rexis, this is Rhulea Unali, she runs The Golden Bucket alongside her husband, Golan, and their two children, Nolan and Janice, who... I believe are in the middle of a supply trip to the capital.” Blackbird looked to her with a tilted head.

“That’s right! And it’s an honor meeting you, my prince,” Rhulea curtsied politely. “Kamaria and Zina Jelani, our two waitresses, are on their mid-afternoon break between the lunch and dinner rushes.” She smiled warmly to the prince. “My husband is also out, taking dinner up the mountain to the miners, but I do hope you come by another time to meet them all!”

“It feels very cozy here, I’ll be sure to visit another time.” Rexis said amusedly.

The group then went on to their final destination. Not far from the castle gates was the local orphanage, funded by Blackbird and managed by staff handpicked by the Elder. Blackbird welcomed the group inside upon their arrival.

“Olga, are you around?” Blackbird called out into the foyer.

“Miss Olga just left to grab some fresh bread for dinner,” the voice of a young girl answered as she entered the foyer from a door on the right. The girl looked to be mid-teen in age with short orange hair and ice-blue eyes. She was wearing a grey tunic and black pants, with grey shorts on top of that, a dark red coat, a grey scarf, and black leather boots that looked like they were a bit too big for her. Upon seeing that Blackbird wasn’t alone, she stopped at the door, eyes widened. “O-oh, hello!”

“Something wrong, Aeryn?” Another girl’s voice said before appearing from around the corner behind Aeryn. She looked to be a bit older than Aeryn, with short, wavy brown hair, wearing a white tunic and ivory pants. She also wore a blue-green, hooded, oversized coat with holes at the bottom of the sleeves that her thumbs poked out of. Her sapphire blue eyes focused on Blackbird, then the others, and then back to Blackbird, a frown crossing her face. "Who are they?"

"This is Prince Rexis and his Knights: Abigail, Adamenthe, Lilliana, Sirothes, and Ammy." The Elder gestured to each in turn, making sure to use Ammy's nickname as requested earlier. "Prince Rexis, this is Aeryn and Evo, the one who saw the dragon."

Aeryn let out a small gasp as her eyes filled with admiration while Evo simply crossed her arms.

Rexis nodded to Blackbird before looking to Evo. "I have a few questions for you, Evo, regarding what you saw."

"Okay." Evo said simply, her gaze seemed to harden.

Rexis let the attitude slide as he unfolded a map and showed it to her. "Where were you when you saw the dragon? And where was it?"

Surprise crossed the teen's face. "You… believe me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Rexis gave her a simple smile.

Evo blinked and stood there for a moment before stepping forward, pointing at the map in the prince's hands to a place near the river southwest of the city. "I was here and the dragon was somewhere over here, in the sky of course. It uh…" She pointed to the mountain peak northwest of the city and thought for a moment. "It looked like it was going in this direction," she explained as she lightly dragged her finger south across the map, towards the shepherds' fields that was just northwest of where she had been.

"So it's as I suspected." Blackbird commented. "It was looking for a midnight snack. The timing of her sighting corresponds with the shepherds noting one of their flock missing."

Evo paled slightly at the comment, fear in her eyes as she slowly looked up to Blackbird. Rexis noticed and gave her a reassuring smile. "As far as records and legends say, no dragon has ever eaten a human. If it noticed you, it would have simply let you be if it's a Benevolent."

"A-and a Destructive?" Aeryn asked quietly, taking a step closer to Evo. She reached up and clung lightly to the back of the other girl's coat.

"Well, they tend to just ravage whole areas, not go after individuals unless purposefully provoked by said individual." Rexis looked to the younger girl as he calmly answered her question before looking back to Evo. "What were you doing out there, Evo?"

Evo stiffened and looked to Blackbird, who gave her a nod. She looked back to the prince as she lowered her hands from the map and started fidgeting. “I had heard there were some flowers that only bloomed at night. I... thought the orphanage would look nice with some of them as decorations.”

“I see. Then perhaps Ammy could escort you next time, just in case the dragon shows up again.” He gave the aforementioned wolf anima a warm smile. “She’s been wanting to get some flowers for the castle.”

Evo stared at the prince in disbelief. “You aren’t gonna tell me off about leaving the safety of the city at night?”

Rexis gave her a knowing smile. He had his fair share of interactions with orphans before and knew some to be more rebellious than others. Her body language and attitude towards him told him that she was someone who got into trouble often enough. “I could, but I doubt you’d listen as you’re clearly aware of the danger and ventured out anyway. So, there’s no need for a lecture that would waste time for both of us.” He also wasn’t one to talk, having done his own venturing out past his curfew when young. “Besides, I’m sure Blackbird has already given you one.” He smiled knowingly to the Elder, who nodded.

Evo frowned slightly, crossing her arms as she studied the prince, seemingly unsure what to make of him.

“Um…” Aeryn spoke up nervously, looking between the prince and Ammy. “I know where there are some still-blooming flowers. I could show Ammy where they are sometime.”

“Oh! Can she?” Ammy piped up, tail wagging slightly. “Can we go now, Rexis?”

“Blackbird?” Rexis looked to the Elder, an amused smile crossing his face.

“I have no problem with that. Just be back in time for dinner, Aeryn,” Blackbird said with a chuckle.

“Thank you, Blackbird!” Ammy cheered and looked to Aeryn, blue eyes sparkling with excitement. “We can go whenever you’re ready, ok?”

“Oh! Ok! Uh… we can go now?” Aeryn went over to the anima Knight, looking up at her with admiration. “The flowers aren’t far outside the south gate.” 

“Then let’s go!!” Ammy hollered as she pumped a fist into the air and led the way out the door, Aeryn following close behind with an excited smile.

“Hey! Keep it down!” Came a harsh, hushed voice from another door to the left. The remainder of the group turned to see an elven woman with short, white hair, darker skin, and red-brown eyes. She was wearing a black tunic and pants with a white nurse’s apron draped down her front. Putting a hand to her hip, she scowled at the group from where she stood in the doorway. 

“My apologizes. How is Evan?” Blackbird asked worriedly. 

“Sleeping for now. His fever finally broke.” The woman replied simply, tone softening a touch. She looked to Rexis. “Pardon my rudeness, your highness, but I take patient care very seriously.”

Rexis shook his head before giving her an understanding smile. “It’s fine. I can’t fault you for doing your duty and looking out for your patient’s well-being.” 

“Prince Rexis, this is Miss Zia Azurdu, Head Healer of our Infirmary.” Blackbird chimed in. 

“Ah. It’s nice to meet you, Miss Zia.” Rexis gave a polite nod to her.

“A pleasure. And thank you for understanding, my prince.” Zia said with a slightly warmer tone of voice.

Evo finally spoke up again. “Can I… go with Aeryn, too?”

Blackbird nodded to the young girl. “You may. If Prince Rexis has no further questions?” The druid looked to the prince as he inquired.

“Just one more. I understand it was night, but could you tell the color of the dragon’s primary scales?” Rexis looked back to Evo questioningly.

“Red. Definitely red.” Evo said confidently as she nodded her head. “The moonlight lit up the webbing of the wings to glow a fiery orange, too. It was terrifying, but… kind of cool.” Her expression turned thoughtful as she recalled the scene.

“A Crimson?” Abigail spoke up, perplexed. “In the snowy mountains? I thought they kept to warm environments?”

Rexis hummed. “Well, there’s a first time for everything. Perhaps once we meet this Crimson, if it’s still around, we’ll find out why it’s here of all places.” He looked back to Evo with a nod. “Thank you for the information, Evo. I’ll let Blackbird know if I come up with any other questions.” The prince then tilted his head towards the door with a knowing smile. “You’d better get going to catch up with them. Ammy tends to be fleet of foot when she’s excited about something.”

“Oh, yeah, no problem.” Evo nodded to the prince before looking to the Elder. “See you later, Blackbird.” The teen girl then dashed out the door to catch up with the other two.

“She seems to be quite the handful,” Rexis commented after Evo left. 

“Yes, but she means well. While I know that Aeryn is safe with Ammy, Evo is quite protective of her childhood friend. It may be awhile before she warms up to anyone else.” Blackbird said with a sigh.

“I see…” The prince thought for a moment. “Well, knowing how quickly Ammy tends to make friends, especially with children, I have the feeling she may become a common sight around here when off duty. For better or for worse...” Rexis trailed off with a sigh.

Blackbird nodded and spoke with an amused tone. “That’s not a problem. I’m sure most of the children will enjoy having such lively company.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll be sure to let her know.” Rexis smiled to the Elder.

Rexis then queried Zia on the general health of the city’s population, the usual yearly trends for illnesses, and any recent outbreaks. Once they finished their conversation, Rexis and his Knights took their leave back to the castle. 

The rest of the evening was filled with discussions on impressions of the city, things noticed that may need attention in the future, and anticipated plans and goals now that they had more information on the area. All turned in for bed early as the next day was going to be unpredictable. Rexis in particular was anxious for the next day as he would either be making a deal with a Benevolent Dragon or facing down a Destructive Dragon. Either way, he knew his life was going to be heavily impacted by the possible encounter, on top of everything else going on in his rapidly changing life.


	4. Encounter of the Draconic Kind

The scouting party was standing around the castle courtyard, the light of morning barely peeking up over the mountains. They were finishing preparations for the trip up the mountain when a young girl’s voice called out. 

“Aaaammmyyyyyyy!” Aeryn was looking around the corner of the castle gates, clearly unsure if she could enter or not.

Ammy was adjusting the harness that held her two swords criss crossed on her back. She paused to look over and smiled, waving at the young girl to come over. “Morning Aeryn!” 

Aeryn looked around nervously before lightly jogging over to the wolf anima. She held up a small clover to her new friend. “This is for luck. I hope it’s not a Destructive Dragon but… You’ll come back, right?”

Ammy nodded confidently as she took the clover, tucking it into the fur above her right ear. “Thank you, Aeryn. And I will! I promise!”

“Okay!” Aeryn smiled.

Sirius chuckled from nearby. “I see you already have a new friend, Ammy!” 

Ammy looked to the fellow Knight and smiled joyfully. “Yes! Aeryn showed me where the Fall flowers bloom and told me about all the different kinds that thrive around the area. She’s definitely helped me feel at home here already!” Ammy giggled as she looked to Aeryn, who smiled just as happily hearing the compliment.

Rexis walked over to the three, having finished his preparations for the trip. “I’m glad to hear it, Ammy.” He then smiled to Aeryn, having noticed the teen’s hesitation to enter the castle grounds. “The courtyard is always open to the public. However, as long as you’re with Ammy you’re free to visit the castle proper anytime.” He decided to go ahead and answer the question he knew was coming from the druid Knight given her past record of wanting to bring friends to the castle. He then gave Ammy a stern look. “So long as she isn’t distracting you from your duties. Your time off is fair game, of course.”

Ammy straightened and nodded. “Of course, Rexis! Thank you!” She looked back to Aeryn, excitement gleaming in her eyes as she wagged her tail, clapping her hands lightly. “That means castle tour time when we get back!”

Aeryn looked to Rexis and then Ammy, clearly overwhelmed but excited. She brought her hands up to her chest and hopped lightly on her toes. “I can’t wait!”

“There you are!” Evo’s concerned voice called over as she jogged to the group. “I woke up and couldn’t find you anywhere! Don’t scare me like that!” 

“O-oh. Sorry! I wanted to make sure I gave Ammy the clover before they left. She said they were gonna leave before the sun rose so…” Aeryn tucked her chin into her scarf, giving Evo a deeply apologetic look. 

Evo sighed. “It’s fine. Just… tell me next time?”

“Okay…” Aeryn’s shoulders drooped.

Rexis chuckled softly before looking to Ammy. “Same goes with Evo, too.”

“Wait, what?” Evo looked to the prince in confusion. 

“We’re gonna get a castle tour when they get back!” Aeryn perked back up.

“We are?” A smile crossed Evo’s face for once as she looked up at the castle with interest. “That’s awesome!”

“We need to get going, my prince.” Abigail interrupted as she led Belle over to him. 

“Ah, of course.” Rexis took the reins from the Head Knight and looked to the two young girls. “If all goes well, we’ll be back before dinner. I’ll leave it up to Ammy to determine when to give the tour.” He smiled at the wolf anima. 

“Good luck!” Aeryn cheered while Evo simply gave a nod. 

With the preparations complete and luck wished from those who stayed behind, the scouting party began the trek up the mountain. Wind whipped around them as they climbed higher and higher, the bright sun shining down on them helped keep them warm as the temperatures dropped with the altitude. At one point they stopped and dismounted, the steeper cliffside was too treacherous to go by horse as they neared the peak. Leaving the horses with a small group of guards, the prince, his Knights, Blackbird, Etha, and a few of her elite guard continued up to the old dragon caves. 

Upon seeing the cave entrance in the distance, Rexis turned to Blackbird, pointing to the cave. “Is that the one the previous dragon lived in?”

Blackbird nodded. “Lady Sivani was a long-time friend of the city. I’ve visited this place quite often at her invitation.” His tone sounded of fond remembrance. 

Rexis took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He was anxious, terrified even. He was representing not only Lucir and the people of the Northern Mountains, but also the Kingdom itself. The prince prayed to the gods that the dragon was Benevolent and as easy to work with as the previous dragon had been from Blackbird’s stories. He led the way up to the entrance and peered in. 

The cave was large, easily three stories tall and just as wide. The ground sloped down into the depths of the mountain, the sunlight only reaching so far before darkness swallowed everything up. Claw marks made the ground rough right at the entrance, clear signs of dragons taking flight and landing over the centuries. The walls of the cave, however, were perfectly smooth and polished, gems poking out here and there as decorations in a beautiful display of color - a clear sign of an Earthen Dragon previously calling this place home. The cave floor also smoothed out not far in, making the trek easier as lamps and torches were lit to be able to see where they were going. However, it wasn’t long before they entered a massive, carved out room dimly lit by glowing moss, with crystals refracting and reflecting the light all around. These crystals caught the lamp and torchlight, brightening up the cave further and illuminating a large red dragon curled up in the center of the room, it’s back to the entrance. 

From what they could see, the dragon had crimson primary scales with golden highlights visible where the light struck the scales at just the right angle. Black spines with white tips ran down the center of its back along its neck and tail. Large webbed wings protruded from its back, the webbing a vibrant, fiery red-orange that almost seemed to glow in the torchlight. The belly scales looked to be an earthy brown, though it was hard to tell in the dim light from how the dragon was curled up.

The group stopped at the entrance of the room, almost all holding their breath out of fear of waking the slumbering dragon and enraging it. 

With one more silent, deep breath, Rexis took a few steps forward from the group. The prince was about to speak up, but his footsteps were enough to stir the dragon as it let out a grumble. 

"Mrrrgh… Who is it? I was napping…" The voice was deep and rough, reverberating around the room.

Rexis tried to keep his voice steady and calm as he spoke. He gripped the sword on his left hip with his left hand tightly to control the anxiety that spiked within him. "Apologizes for the intrusion, dragon. I am the Ice Prince Rexis Glacira, ruling prince of the Northern Mountain region of the Kingdom of Glace, fourth child of-" Rexis cut off as the dragon lightly slammed his tail down on the ground.

"Yeah, yeah, I don't care about fancy titles and such. Rexis, right?" The dragon said while he got up and stretched. As he slowly turned to the group, they could see the features of the dragon clearer now. He had two long, red horns that swept back from the crown of his head and long ears located just above the back of his jaw. He had a short “beard” of black spines protruding down along the length of his jaw and glowing, red-orange, slit eyes that appeared to have orange and gold flames slowly shifting within them. His claws were visibly sharp, colored black with white tips like the spines on his back and there were two large black and white spines towards the end of his tail on the sides resembling an axe.

"That's my name, yes." Rexis kept his composure as still as ice. He felt like it was taking all his willpower to stand tall in front of the dragon that appeared to stand two-stories in height, not counting his wings.

The dragon stepped into the light of the torches and lamps, causing some of the Northern Guard to take a step back in fear. Rexis held his ground as the dragon spoke. "Are you in charge of that Lucir place down belo- Woah." The dragon appeared to startle as he jerked his head back a bit. He brought his head forward towards Rexis and blinked in surprise as he looked over the prince. "You're like… _illegally_ pretty."

It was Rexis’ turn to blink in surprise. He furrowed his eyebrows at the absurdly timed comment. “Pardon, _what_?" 

With the appearance of a shimmering heatwave, the dragon changed forms to look like that of a muscular man with skin as dark as his underbelly scales, a patch of crimson scales along each of his cheekbones, and a short beard that lined his jaw. He wore only tattered black shorts and his shoulder-length black hair was half pulled back, revealing long ears that had red simple earrings on them. Two red horns resembling those from his dragon form swept back from the top of his head and he had black claws with white tips on his hands and feet. He also had a pair of wings and a tail that matched his full form's design in color and shape, scaled down to his new human size of course. However, he stood about half a foot taller than the prince, who was just under six feet tall. 

The dragon’s flaming red eyes focused on Rexis with admiration, aglow with the fire mana shifting within. "I've met a lot of elves in my travels but you…” He nodded, examining the prince further with an expression of approval. “You're definitely illegally pretty compared to all of them." The dragon continued to speak with a deep, slightly gravelly voice, but it sounded a lot smoother and a touch higher in tone than his full form.

Rexis was perplexed, to say the least, and he feared his cheeks were slightly flushed in either embarrassment or surprise at the compliment. Everything he knew of dragons came from books and the accounts of those who happened to have interacted with them previously. They were known to be regal and proud creatures, but he couldn't recall dragons ever complimenting someone they referred to as a “Small One” quite like this. "I… uh… thank you? Ahem.” The Ice Prince tried to recollect himself and spoke again with confidence. “I'll get straight to the point then. Are you a Benevolent or Destructive Dragon?"

The dragon laughed. "You really think a _Destructive_ would happily chat with anyone? Benevolent, of course! Mom said that the people of the City of Lucir were good people. Or has that changed in the last two centuries?" His voice and expression turned serious as he eyed the sword at Rexis' side.

"Pardon my interruption," Blackbird drew both men's attention as he stepped forward, head tilted. "You said your mother told you about us? Is she perhaps Lady Sivani, the Benevolent Earthen Dragon who used to reside here?"

The crimson dragon's eyes lit up and he smiled broadly. "Yeah! That's her! I'm surprised any Small One remembers stuff like that after so long."

Blackbird chuckled. "Some of us happen to be old enough to have lived through it. And living alongside a Benevolent Dragon is not something one simply forgets," he said with a wise tone.

"Hahahahaha! Makes sense! But to clarify, you're not here to drive me away or try to kill me, right?" The dragon asked with a serious tone again, tail swishing, the axe-like spines catching and reflecting the light.

"I would rather not do either of those." Rexis chimed back in, relaxing a touch knowing that he was dealing with a Benevolent, but still weary as to not incur his wrath for any reason. "I’d actually like to extend a warm welcome to you, Benevolent One. And perhaps we cou-"

"Agni." The dragon said with a smirk, refocusing on the Ice Prince.

Rexis stared at the dragon a second, processing what just happened. "Pardon?"

"Just call me Agni." The crimson dragon said, amusedly. "You're not used to people interrupting you, are ya, Rex?"

"I would prefer you to _not_ call me that." Rexis said with a calm tone while narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Rexis, Rexis, got it." Agni held his hands up in a surrendering pose but kept an amused smile. "Didn't mean to offend the Ice Prince."

Rexis continued to be baffled by Agni. He knew dragons viewed and interacted with the world differently, but he acted young and inexperienced. Either that, or he was just overly friendly and boisterous. "Pardon my direct question, but how young are you?"

Agni put his hands to his hips and visibly thought a moment. "About… one hundred sixty-eight? Give or take a year or two. What did Mom say the conversion to human years was…? Uh… I think that makes me twenty-four.” Agni refocused on the prince with a mischievous smirk. “How about you, princy?"

"P-princy?" Rexis gave up keeping a poker face and just gave Agni a dumbfounded look, causing the dragon to burst out laughing. The Ice Prince felt heat rush to his ears from embarrassment. He felt like he was being made a fool out of in front of everyone who came with him. Rexis shook his head and finally answered the dragon with as confident a tone as he could muster. “A hundred and fourteen years old. About twenty-three in human terms.”

Agni slowly calmed from his laughing fit and gave a friendly smile while nodding. “Alright, alright. I like you, so I think I’ll definitely stick around.” He approached the prince and slung an arm around the elf’s shoulders. “You run the City of Lucir, yeah? What do y’all need? Protection? An extra pair of hands to haul things around? Another hunter? I’ll admit, I feel bad about taking those sheep without asking, but I was so exhausted and hungry and didn’t want to cause a hangry scene after travelling so far for so long. So, if there’s anything I can do to pay y’all back, just ask, a’ight?”

Rexis bristled under the unsolicited touch and didn’t bother hiding his discomfort as he pressed his lips into a thin line and his gaze hardened. He honestly had no idea how to handle this boisterous man. With a deep sigh to hold his tongue from telling a_ dragon_ off about personal space, he responded with a tone colder than intended. “Protection would be a good start. We border the Sigmun Republic to the north and as much as my father does to keep things as smooth as possible, relations still tend to be tense. We can provide you food in exchange since the mountains tend to be scarce as Winter sets in.”

“Oh, I know about those Sigmun guys. Wouldn’t let me have _any_ peace save for the handful of good people I happened to come across. I do hope that old couple is doing alright…” Agni said thoughtfully before focusing back on the prince. “Anyway, we have a deal! But I’d be happy to do more than sit around playing guard dog all day. Don’t be afraid to ask me anything, really!” He then turned himself and the prince around to face back towards the cave entrance and the others of the group. He smiled broadly at them. “So! Mind introducing me to your friends, princy?” 

Rexis did his best to not lose balance as Agni unexpectedly turned him around. He let out a groan at the absurd nickname but proceeded to answer the dragon’s request and introduced everyone who came with him, trying not to sound too exasperated. 

“Awesome! Nice to meet you all! I’m Aniran, but I’d rather you just call me Agni. Crimson Benevolent, son of the Earthen Benevolent Sivani, who some of you know about, and the Crimson Benevolent Firnag. Though you’ve probably never heard of Dad since he’s spent most of his life fixing what another Crimson messed up in the far northeast.” Agni gave a shrug with his free arm. “Oh! And I can influence fire, earth, and ice mana like my parents.”

Blackbird tilted his head. “You’re… an Omen Bringer?” He sounded both surprised and worried. 

“Yeah, uh… You know what that is?” Agni asked, eyeing Blackbird a bit with a frown. 

Blackbird sighed. “It would take too long to explain it for those here who do not know, and time is short. I can explain when we make it back to the city.”

“Yes, we should get going back down the mountainside before too much longer, or else the sun will set before we even see the city gates,” Etha added.

Rexis ducked out from under Agni’s arm and began briskly walking back towards the entrance. “And Ammy has a promise to keep. So, let’s get going.” He paused and looked back at the disappointed Agni. “You’re free to stay here or come with us.”

“Of course I’m coming with! It’s cold and lonely up here!” Agni exclaimed with a frown as he caught up to Rexis quickly with a single beat of his wings, putting out some of the torches by accident in the process with the sudden wind current. He looked to one of the nervous guardsmen who held a now extinguished torch with a sheepish smile. “Oh, whoops. Sorry about that.”

Rexis took a step away from Agni and held up a hand before the dragon could sling an arm over his shoulders again. “Please. No.” 

Agni stopped and shrugged instead. “Well, now I know where you get the Ice Prince title from. I suppose you royalty types have it hard, huh, with running a kingdom and all. No wonder you’re so cold and standoffish… And here I just wanted to be friends!” The dragon overdramatically feigned being hurt with the last comment.

Ammy puffed her cheeks and ran to stand in front of Agni, ears back against her head and fur bristled slightly. “Rexis is a good and loving person! He’s just picky with physical contact, that’s all. And we didn’t exactly know what kind of dragon you were, so cut him some slack!”

“Relax Ammy,” Rexis said simply with a sigh. “He’s obviously not had to work with royalty and the protocols that go with it.”

Agni stopped when the wolf anima stepped in front of him, giving her a curious look. He then looked to Rexis, furrowing his eyebrows. “Protocols? What, like, strict rules or something? Man, you _really_ have it rough, don’t ya?” The dragon crossed his arms and shook his head, giving Rexis a look of pity. He then took a few quick steps to catch up with the prince as the group reached the exit, the sun shining down with midday light. The crimson scales on his cheeks, wings, and tail reflected the warm sunlight with a golden glimmer.

Agni gave a kind smile to Rexis as the prince began leading the way through the snow back down the mountain. He kept talking since the prince stayed quiet. “Relax! I get that some of you Small Ones tend to look at us dragons like gods or whatever but there’s no need to be so stuffy and formal. I’m not gonna bite your head off or anything for being casual with me. I’m here to make new friends and help! And that goes for the rest of you, too!” Agni threw a charming smile to the rest of the group.

Ammy visibly forced herself to back down as Agni passed her before going to follow close to Rexis on the side opposite Agni. She stayed quiet but continued to keep a keen eye on the dragon, her instincts kicking into a protective mode over Rexis. The other Knights also had varying looks of suspicion and unease, but none of them were going to start an argument with the Benevolent Dragon unless Rexis specifically gave the order. So far Rexis was letting the dragon do as he wanted, for the most part.

“I appreciate the kind offer of friendship,” Blackbird spoke up again to try and ease the tension starting to fill the air, though he couldn’t help but watch the entire scene with amusement. “I’m sure the residents of Lucir will relax knowing we have such a helpful and easy-going dragon among us.”

“Oh yeah! I really gotta apologize for scaring people, don’t I?” Agni gave Blackbird a sheepish smile while scratching the back of his head. “The shepherds especially. I’m not entirely sure how I’m gonna pay them back cus something tells me simply protecting the town isn’t gonna be enough… Ahaha…” His wings drooped slightly as a troubled look crossed his face.

Blackbird gently pat the dragon on the shoulder as he spoke with a reassuring tone. “We’ll talk with them tomorrow and sort something out. They aren’t unreasonable people.” 

Agni looked to the druid with hopeful eyes. “Alright. Thanks… uh… Blackbird, was it?”

“Correct.” Blackbird gave a quick nod.

“Yeah, thanks Blackbird!” Agni visibly perked back up before glancing at the prince. Lowering his voice as he leaned in slightly, he whispered to the Elder. “I gotta ask, is it just with me cus, well, dragon,” he gestured to himself, “or is he really always like that?” 

“Give him time to warm up to you,” Blackbird reassured, keeping his own voice quiet. “The prince is not averse to making friends, but he does so at his own pace.”

“I see, I see. Thanks again, Black-B.” Agni nodded and seemed to relax with the reassurance.

“I can still hear you,” Rexis commented flatly, not bothering to look at the two whispering as they approached the guards who had been waiting with the horses. The guards understandably looked concerned seeing the man with dragon features, but relaxed when they realized he was friendly.

“Well, what if I wanted you to hear me?” Agni said with a teasing tone to the prince, a sly smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Rexis rolled his eyes as he mounted his horse. “Come on then. To Lucir.” The prince turned Belle around and started the charge down the mountain, despite the others not being ready to move or even on their own horses yet.

Abigail was about to quickly follow but brought her horse to stand beside Agni instead, watching the prince disappear around the bend. “My, my, I’ve not seen Rexis so embarrassed in so long.” She then gave the dragon, who was standing there a bit stunned at the outright cold response, a kind smile. “You’re quite the character, Agni. And maybe you’re just the kind of friend he needs to teach him to relax, like his father keeps telling him to do. We certainly can’t due to our rank and duties...” 

The Head Knight chuckled lightly as the dragon looked to her with a questioning gaze as he raised an eyebrow. She gave an almost motherly smile in return. “Honestly? Tease him all you like and try to get him to relax. And don’t be discouraged if he keeps a distance from you for a time. I’m sure he just doesn’t know how to handle someone as lively as you yet. But so long as you don’t harm him, we won’t have any issues between you and me, alright?”

Agni visibly cheered up while listening to the paladin. He gave her a confident nod with a wide smile. “Thank you, Abby! And don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare hurt the pretty prince.” 

Adam couldn’t hold back a snort at the last comment. The other Knights looked to him in surprise as he was the most serious out of all of them besides Lilliana. It was rare for him to show his amusement at anything.

Abigail shot her brother a look.

“What? He’s not wrong!” Adam replied as he laughed. “Rexis_ is_ a pretty prince! And no one has ever had the nerve to actually say it aloud!”

“Yes, but you _know_ how sensitive the prince is when it comes to his appearance.” Abigail sighed, shaking her head. “More so than his _sisters_…”

“Aha! _That_ explains it!” Agni laughed alongside Adam. “And I thought we dragons had a vice for vanity!”

“We should get going.” Lilliana interrupted, scowling per usual. “The prince will arrive long before us if we stand around chatting idly all afternoon.” The mage pointed out before directing her horse to begin her own descent down the mountainside.

In a slight scramble, the rest of the group managed to catch up with the prince, who had slowed his pace after disappearing from view. Agni took to the skies, staying relatively close to the scouting party, despite being able to simply glide down to the city if he wanted. But he knew better than to arrive unannounced without the prince.

As expected, the group arrived at the city gates shortly before dinner time. A commotion started among the townsfolk who had gathered to see the dragon as Agni was brought in. Rexis calmly walked through the town to the castle, overhearing the sighs of relief and chatter that the dragon turned out to be a Benevolent, as well as the curiosity of what deal the prince possibly made with the dragon regarding cooperating with the city. Agni kept by Rexis’ side as he smiled and waved to the people around, enjoying the attention after being relatively isolated for so long.

When they reached the castle gates, Aeryn jumped up from the nearby bench she and Evo had been sitting on, overjoyed to see everyone return safely. “Welcome back!!”

Ammy wagged her tail upon seeing the young girl. “Thanks, Aeryn! We have a new friend… _I suppose_.” She glared slightly at the dragon, still in protective mode.

Agni looked aghast and shook his head. “Man, this is one tough crowd. I said I’m not gonna hurt anyone.”

“You insulted Rexis!” Ammy bit back, ears alert and tail bristling again.

“Ammy. _Enough_.” Rexis commanded sternly before softening his gaze to her. “It’s fine. I’m not offended.”

Ammy put her ears down, tail drooping a bit. “Ok… I’m sorry.”

Aeryn looked nervously between Ammy and the others before focusing on Ammy. “Um, we could do the tour another time…” 

Rexis shook his head. “You three have fun exploring the castle while we get Agni settled in. Ammy, I trust you’ll take good care of those two?” He gave her a reassuring smile.

Ammy perked up, seeing Rexis wasn’t that mad at her. “I will!” She turned to Aeryn and Evo. “Come on! I’ll show you the barracks first!” The druid then led the way to their first destination.

Seeing Ammy cheer up, Aeryn also cheered up as she followed the wolf anima. “Okay!” 

Evo’s eyes lingered on Agni in curiosity a moment before she ran off to catch up with the other two. 

Agni waved to the trio as they left before turning to the castle. He whistled. “Nice little keep you got here. It’s how Mom described it, but it’s definitely better seeing it in person.” He threw a smile Rexis’ way. “Do I get a tour, too?”

Rexis visibly stiffened before he looked to Blackbird almost pleadingly. “Would you be so kind as to give Agni a tour? I’m going to go lay down.” 

Blackbird nodded. “I would be happy to. Is there anything else you need?” He asked with a worried tone.

“I’m fine…” The prince sighed and rubbed his temples, walking off from the group as they continued unpacking and brushing down the horses.

The Knights standing there exchanged a worried look. “I’ll check on him before dinner,” Abigail quietly told the others.

Agni caught the look and looked back to where the prince had disappeared through the main doors. He furrowed his eyebrows, frowning slightly, but Blackbird brought him out of his thoughts.

The druid spoke with an understanding tone, trying to ease the dragon’s apparent worry. “If Prince Rexis says he’s fine, he’ll be alright. We’ve had a long day of travel so I’m sure he’s simply tired. Meanwhile, there’s quite a bit to show for the castle, so let’s stop by the main areas first. We’ll take a break for dinner and continue afterwards while your sleeping arrangements are figured out.” Blackbird wasn’t sure what Rexis intended for their new dragon resident, but he had a few ideas to suggest to the prince later.

Agni quickly cheered up as Blackbird showed him around the castle. He happily greeted every guard, maid, and servant they encountered, finding the rather lively castle to be welcoming. Blackbird purposefully avoided the area of the bedroom chambers, wanting to give Rexis the peace he clearly needed.

Meanwhile, Rexis entered his room with a heavy sigh. He trudged over to the desk and pulled out his father’s letter, putting it down as a glimmer of something else in the drawer caught his eye. He picked up the Dragon’s-Soul necklace in his right hand and stared at it a moment, the light of the setting sun streaming through the open windows reflected beautifully off the multi-colored gem. The realization suddenly hit the Ice Prince that he had completely forgotten to bring it with him just in case Agni had been a Destructive Dragon. Groaning, he went over and flopped down onto his bed face-first. He then rolled over onto his back while grabbing a pillow and proceeded to yell into it, his voice greatly muffled by the dense, downy feathers within. 

Huffing, he plopped the pillow back into its place and held up the necklace, admiring how the sunlight was refracted all around. “This is my life now, huh? By the gods…” He then laid his outstretched arm down over his eyes and let himself fall apart for a moment as both loneliness and frustration overwhelmed him.

“It’s bad enough I’m away from my family for so long... Royal duties? Those are fine, I can handle that. But now I basically have to _babysit_ a dragon? Twenty-four in human years? At a hundred and sixty-eight? How _long_ to dragons live? How long do they take to _mature_?” 

Rexis sat up, frustration getting the better of him. “ARGH! What is up with this guy?! How is he so… so… _relaxed_ around everything and everyone?! Is it because he’s a _dragon_ that he doesn’t care about a reputation or anything?”

The prince flopped back down onto his back and put his hands to his face, ignoring the necklace looped a couple times around his right hand as the gem bumped his cheek. Rexis groaned. He could almost hear his father telling him to relax. But he couldn’t. There was so much going on at once and he couldn’t afford to let anything slip past him. And he now had to deal with this new draconic resident and somehow get him integrated into the town and how things worked around here. 

Agni seemed friendly enough to be able to get along with most of the citizens, but his over-the-top personality and attitude was concerning to the prince. There was no predicting what that kind of person was going to do in any given situation and Rexis did not want to be on PR cleanup duty all the time. As it was, he still had to deal with the situation between Agni and the shepherds. 

Gods knew what else Rexis had to do so that Agni would be comfortable living among "Small Ones". What did a dragon even like when it came to living spaces? Did he want a cave carved out of one of the nearby mountains just outside of the city? Or was he ok staying in his shapeshifted form for sleeping? If that was the case, Rexis could offer him the secondary master as a room of his own. But would he like the plush bed or something firmer? 

Well, asking himself the questions would not get him anywhere. 

Rexis shifted, putting one arm over his eyes again and layed there in the relative silence, hearing birds chirping outside as the sun started to slowly dip behind the mountains. He almost dozed off but the sound of claws on stone to his right made him jolt with an audible gasp. “Glace wyre fross!” Trained instinct kicked in and he cast a basic ice spell at the sound before he even sat up to see what it was. 

“Woah woah woah!” Agni grabbed onto the side of the window to keep himself from falling backwards from the impact of the ice to his chest. “Easy there, Ice Prince! It’s just me!” After regaining his balance, Agni wiped down his chest with his free hand, the magic ice melting quickly.

Rexis, now sitting up on the bed, glared at him. He didn’t bother to put up any kind of polite facade as he practically growled through his teeth. “_What _are you doing here?”

Agni looked taken aback. He then spoke in a quieter and calmer tone. “I was just coming by to check up on ya before they called for dinner… I mean, Blackbird said to leave you alone but... I was worried.”

The prince scoffed. “Worried? We _just_ met. How can you be _worried_ about a total stranger?” Rexis said coldly. He shifted to sit on the edge of his bed, putting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward. He intertwined his fingers as he brought his hands up to his face, continuing to glare at Agni.

Agni crouched in the window, balancing himself with his tail as he braced his elbows on his knees. He seemed to recover a bit from his shock as he countered the prince. “You worry about the citizens of your city, don’t you? And from what I heard, you just moved here. How can you worry about them?”

It was Rexis’ turn to look surprised, having his own logic thrown back at him. He then frowned and spoke matter of factly. “It’s my _duty_ to as their prince. Their worries and concerns are my own. I must do all that I can to ease their worries and fears and make sure they have access to what they need to the best of my ability.”

Agni simply raised an eyebrow, trying to keep his tone steady. “Alright. Then I have a concern for you, Prince Rexis.”

“You’re _not_ a Glacian.” The words slipped out of Rexis’ mouth faster than he could stop them. But it was too late now. He watched Agni’s shocked expression drop like a rock as pain filled his eyes, the natural glow within seemed to dim. The prince was speechless on what to say to try and remedy the clear damage he caused. He didn’t think a simple sorry would cut it, but what else could he say? However, his hesitation was his downfall as he watched the dragon turn away from him.

“You’re right… I’m _not_...” Agni’s voice was barely audible as he faced the outside. 

As the dragon crouched a little more, preparing his wings for the jump, Rexis sprang to his feet and reached out with his left hand. “W-wait!” 

The prince’s hand grasped the side of Agni’s tail as the dragon made the leap, but Rexis’ hand slid down the length as the dragon pulled away. The unexpected contact brought Agni out of his thoughts as he realized what was happening. 

The dragon knew what was going to happen. 

Agni tried to shift his tail out of existence, but it was too late. The prince’s hand had slid over the axe-like spines at the end of his tail. The dragon spun around, albeit awkwardly without his tail for balance as it finished fading in a heatwave shimmer. His eyes widened as he heard the prince cry out, the elf gripping his injured hand with the other.

Agni immediately flew back to the prince, deeply concerned but even more so apologetic. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! What do I do? Uh... _HELP!!_” 

“Agni!” The prince huffed as he grit his teeth in pain, sitting down on the edge of the bed before he fell over, the pain making him dizzy. “Take this before I get blood all over it!” He held up the already partially bloody necklace that was looped around his right hand, unable to simply shake it off. 

Agni stared at the gem, entranced for a second before shaking his head and taking it. He refocused on the prince, unsure whether or not to touch him, more out of out of fear of hurting him again rather than offending him.

Seconds later the door opened and Abigail and Norwik rushed in. “What happened?” The paladin commanded. She narrowed her eyes at the dragon once she registered the scene before her. “What did you _do!?_”

“He did _nothing!_” Rexis responded before the shocked and confused dragon could. Agni looked back to Rexis even more confused now. “It was _my_ fault!” The prince hollered through grit teeth before squeezing his eyes shut against the pain. 

“But I-” Agni started as he backed away to let the manservant begin to tend to the prince’s injury.

“It. Was. My. Fault.” The Ice Prince interrupted Agni. “I shouldn’t have said that... _Please_, accept my sincerest apologies...” Rexis huffed, shaking his head. 

Agni frowned, his confusion only deepening. “But you’re right, I’m no-”

The prince looked up to Agni. While unable to focus on the dragon as his vision seemed to darken, he spoke earnestly. “You _are_ if you want to be! The Kingdom has a special rule for Benevolent Dragons. If you claim this land as your home… the people here as your family… you… ngh...” Rexis tried to finish what he was saying, but he fainted from dizziness before he could.


	5. Recovery and Amends

Rexis slept soundly, left hand bandaged carefully by Norwik and mostly healed by Abigail’s magick. However, it was determined that a fever was also plaguing the prince. His Knights, Norwik, Blackbird, and Agni filled the room, talking quietly while they waited for Rexis to wake back up.

The dragon sat on the large chest at the foot of the bed, the only visible evidence of what he was being the horns on his head, the scales on his cheeks, his fiery slit eyes, and his long ears - which were currently pointed down in regret. He turned the Dragon’s-Soul gem over and over in one hand as he listened to the others in the room.

“He’ll be fine after a few days of rest.” Blackbird stated calmly after further examining the prince. “It would seem the stress of moving and taking on so many responsibilities at once is the primary cause here. Despite making a plan to transition those duties over time…” The corvid druid shook his head and sighed. “As expected he worried and stressed himself into a tizzy. King Kevir did warn me he would probably do so.”

Abigail stood next to Blackbird with her hands on her hips. “It certainly wouldn’t be the first time he’s made himself sick from self-imposed stress. I was worried if he would do so, I just didn’t expect it to be so soon.” 

“He really needs to learn to relax,” Sirius chimed in. He was kneeling on one of the couches in front of the lit fireplace, head resting on his arms on the back of the couch.

“But nothing we do or suggest seems to help…” Ammy commented quietly, curled up in one of the chairs with her arms wrapped around her knees, head resting on her knees. She had taken the two orphans home when they got the news of the prince’s collapse, promising to finish their tour and to play with them another time.

Lilliana looked up from her book. She sat in a chair opposite Ammy with her ankles crossed neatly. “It’s a matter of finding what works for the prince. What we like to do to relax won’t necessarily work for him.”

“But we’ve tried all kinds of things! Though there are some things I think he’d enjoy if he’d just try it once…” Ammy somewhat repeated, lowering her ears.

"Maybe our new friend has ideas we've never thought of. What do you do to relax, Agni?" Abigail suddenly addressed the dragon.

Agni sat up straighter. "Me? Uh… Train, fight monsters, sleep… Sometimes when I'm really strung out, I simply do nothing. Just lay around and watch the world go by for a bit. Maybe watch the clouds or listen to the birds?"

Silence began to settle into the room until Adam spoke up from where he stood by the dresser, looking at the pictures. "I think he's onto something." 

"I am?" "He is?" Agni and Ammy said at the same time, respectively.

Adam picked up a picture of Rexis when he was young. "Abigail, you and I have been by his side far longer than the others. When was the last time the prince asked to take a break and go for a walk?"

"A walk?" Abigail repeated, prompting Adam to continue his thought. 

Adam turned to her. "Remember when he would ask for an hour break from his studies, go for a walk, and then came back exactly an hour later? He always worked more efficiently after and he always _looked_ more relaxed. He even _acted_ like he was relaxed, despite getting so much more done. When was the last time he did nothing?" Abigail looked thoughtful as her brother continued. "His father, The King, is the same way and works himself until he's sick. Well, guess what they do when they're sick? They do nothing. And they come back stronger and more relaxed after their recovery. The problem for Rexis isn't that he can't find something to _do_ to relax, he simply needs to find time to _not_ do anything."

"He hasn't asked for a break like that since…" Abigail started as she visibly thought. Her eyes widened with the realization, looking back to Adam. "Since he hit the age of adulthood almost fifteen years ago."

Adam nodded. "Exactly. The only real breaks he's taken have been when he's gotten sick from stress." He looked to Agni with a smile. "Thank you for your suggestion, Agni. I think we have a solution to at least one of the prince's problems."

Agni blinked, looking at Adam dumbfoundedly. "You're welcome?" He didn't feel like he contributed much, but if it would help the prince after what happened, he would accept it.

Blackbird walked over to stand by the dragon as there was nothing more that could be done for the prince at the moment. He simply patted Agni's shoulder before noticing what was in his hand. "Hmmm? May I see that?" He pointed to the necklace while looking to Agni.

"Huh? Oh, sure." Agni handed the necklace to Blackbird.

Blackbird held it up, noticing the blood on the gem. "Oh dear… Where did you get this?"

"The prince handed it to me, not wanting to get a bunch of blood on it. Why?" Agni asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Do you know what a Dragon's-Soul gem is?" Blackbird asked and Agni shook his head, eyes curious. "It'a a rare gem said to be the remains of a dragon when it passes. In essence, it is a high concentration of mana in crystal form that can be used to restore a living dragon's mana fountain to full health, should something happen. However, there's an old, nearly forgotten legend about these stones beyond that." He paused and looked around the room, noting that all eyes were on him with various expressions of curiosity.

Amused by his young crowd’s instant curiosity, the Elder continued. “A very long time ago, there was a Queen who was quite close with a Benevolent, the dragon had claimed the whole kingdom as his home, the people his family. During the time of her rule, a particularly powerful Destructive along with two others ravaged the kingdom. The Benevolent moved to defend the Kingdom, the Queen by his side. However, he drained his mana fountain quickly while taking on the two weaker Destructives. Because of the nature of Benevolents, they cannot absorb mana from nearby ley lines and must rest for a time to naturally heal. But the Kingdom did not have the time to wait as the remaining Destructive approached the Kingdom’s capital, nothing but death and destruction in his wake.” He paused for a moment for dramatic effect, noting the bard, the anima, and the dragon were all on the edge of their seats. 

“What happened?” Agni prompted, eager to hear the rest of the story. 

“The Queen and the Benevolent formed a blood pact using a Dragon’s-Soul gem, so long as the Queen was wearing it the two were connected by mana. Since we ‘Small Ones’ are able to channel mana from the ley lines into various forms, the Queen was able to pull from the ley lines and replenish the Benevolent’s mana fountain in time. She was even able to do so during the confrontation, empowering the Benevolent to overcome and slay the Destructive. But it came at a price.”

“Oh no…” Ammy whimpered slightly. 

“The blood pact linked the two not only in mana, but also in life force and they supposedly knew of this. Years later when the Queen passed, the Benevolent passed as well, despite having many more years he could live being a dragon. It was assumed then that if either had been killed, so too would the other... But I have always held a different theory.”

“And that is?” Lilliana asked, eyes filled with interest as she closed her book.

“The Queen died of her natural time. It makes sense for the connected Benevolent to as well. However, if mana can be given and taken between the two, so too could their life force. If one had been killed before their natural time, I suspect that the other could have gifted life to the one killed, within their own limitations of how much they had left of course. Additionally, there was at one time a second legend that talked of the Queen being immortal, as assassination attempts on her by other Kingdoms failed numerous times. That legend does not speak of the Benevolent, but it is of the same Queen and it would serve to support my theory given a dragon’s extremely long natural life.”

Lilliana hummed, nodding. “That would make more sense than one simply succumbing to an untimely death because the other did. Even more so since Benevolents can give up mana from their fountains to repair or even form new ley lines. If the Benevolent can give its mana to the earth to heal it, it is sound reasoning to assume it could give up part of its life force to a connected being of its choosing.”

“So, if I’m understanding all this…” Agni interrupted, his perplexed expression showed he was clearly struggling to keep up. “If I formed a blood pact with someone using a Dragon’s-Soul gem, and they were killed… I could keep them alive as if nothing happened, but it would cut my own time shorter? And if one of us died of natural causes, like a really bad illness or something… so would the other?”

“In theory, correct.” Blackbird nodded. 

“What if I chose not to keep them alive?” Agni asked the next question that came to mind. 

“It’s likely you would die shortly after as well.” Lilliana commented from her seat. 

“Oh…” Agni turned thoughtful again, leaning forward and staring off into space.

Blackbird spoke back up. “In return for such a risk, the two of you would be able to directly support one another. The person being able to draw from nearby ley lines and give you a boost in mana. Alternatively, if the two of you ever found yourself in an area devoid of mana, you could in turn give mana from your own fountain for them to use.”

“Oooh, I didn’t think of that last part…” Lilliana said, excitement in her eyes. “I honestly would love to see such a theory in action, with the dragon acting like a living ley line. It adds a whole new realm of possibilities for mana manipulation and to apply that kind of cooperation to magick would-”

Abigail turned to the mage. “Lilly, we will _not_ be doing such a thing. It would be too risky for both parties involved.”

“How would one go about making a blood oath on a stone, though? Would we just mix our blood on it or something?” Agni asked, curious. Abigail gave him an incredulous look for continuing the topic.

Blackbird held up the necklace that had the prince’s blood on it. “Yes. There’s likely something more to it, like a verbal oath to activate the mana held within, but that is the basic idea.”

Agni nodded thoughtfully. “What if the person is attuned to an element that doesn’t match my own? How would that work?”

“Even if someone is attuned to one element, that does not mean they can’t learn to use another element.” Lilliana answered. “With enough commitment and practice, one could even learn to use their counter element.”

Abigail shook her head. “No. I don’t like this idea. It unnecessarily puts lives at risk. I’m ending this conversation _now_.”

“And I’m continuing it.” Rexis said sternly, making Abigail jump slightly and spin around. The rest of the group had various reactions, ranging from surprised to relief. 

“H-how long have you been awake?” Abigail asked, shaken.

“Long enough for story time.” Rexis said simply before looking at Blackbird with conviction. “If Agni is an Omen Bringer, then this is a possibility we have to keep in mind. Something is on the horizon that none of us will see coming. And it may very well shake up the Kingdom like in the legend.” Rexis glanced at Agni who gave him a deep look of apologetic concern back. 

“Um,” Ammy piped up. “What _is _an Omen Bringer?” Sirius nodded to her question, looking to Blackbird curiously.

“If you don’t mind answering this question, Agni?” Blackbird looked to the dragon. “Our understanding may be different than what you know as one yourself.”

Agni shook his head. “I don’t mind. But I only know what Mom told me.” He looked to Sirius and Ammy. “An Omen Bringer is a dragon that has not one or two elements under their control, but three. I have my Dad’s element, Fire, as my primary, and my Mom’s element, Earth, as my secondary. But both had Ice as their secondary and it passed down to me to become my tertiary element.” He shook his head again, frowning. “Even among dragons we just have stories and legends passed down… But it’s said that when an Omen Bringer is born, the gods foresee a massive shift in mana and power that is going to happen, imbalancing part of the world such that it would be catastrophic if there was no counter to it. So, that’s the Omen Bringer’s duty from birth, to face off with whatever force is causing the imbalance and to prevent it if possible. Or at least to lessen the impact and repair whatever happens to the ley lines.” 

Silence settled in after the dragon stopped speaking. Lilliana was the first to break it. “Fire, Earth, and Ice is an interesting combination. Fire counters Ice, Ice counters Earth, Earth counters Wind… So, all that leaves is the connection of Wind countering Water and Water to Fire. The only element you would ever have to worry about is Water, which counters your primary.”

Agni nodded. “So, if this blood pact thing is something we have to keep in mind,” he glanced to the prince before looking back to Lilliana. “I should look for someone with the attunement of Wind, to counter that, yeah?”

“That would be ideal,” the mage confirmed.

“We would have to find another Dragon’s-Soul gem then. That one is already tainted with my blood.” Rexis said simply, his tone and expression unreadable. 

“Hey! I wouldn’t call it tainted!” Agni jumped up and turned to face the prince.

“If something is going to happen, you need someone who can cover your back.” Rexis countered. “I can ask my father if we have another in the treasury while you look for that person.” 

Agni put his fists to his hips. “And what if I’ve already made my decision on who I’d want to pair with for this?” 

Rexis had a sinking feeling in his stomach. He ran his good hand over his face before pinching the bridge of his nose. “Dare I ask who it is?”

“You of course!” Agni threw a charming smile in the prince’s direction.

“Of course.” Rexis sighed and held out his hand. “Blackbird, give me the necklace.” 

Blackbird silently did so, watching the prince carefully. 

As Rexis started to scooch over to the edge of the bed towards the nearby window, Abigail tried to stop him. “Rexis, you shouldn’t-!”

“Stand down. All of you.” Rexis said firmly and Abigail stopped in her tracks. He finished getting up and reached to open the window, which had been shut as night had fallen. 

“Yes, my prince…” She said quietly as she glanced to Agni pleadingly, but Agni was watching the prince.

Agni’s face was unreadable as he watched the prince open the window, a cold wind swirling through the room, causing the lamps to flicker. 

Rexis stared out into the darkness, lit only by the lamps and torches of the city below. He tossed the necklace up and down lightly in his good hand, estimating the weight of it and where he wanted to throw it to. An involuntary shiver ran through him as the cold attacked his fever-stricken body. 

“Rexis,” Agni finally spoke up. 

Rexis internally groaned. Agni was the one person he couldn’t order. And the one person who, by the laws of nature, had power over him. He spoke with an exasperated tone. “What?”

“I have a concern for you to consider.” The dragon spoke more confidently, quietly taking a step forward.

“I told-“ Rexis cut himself off, gripping the gem tightly in his hand. No, he wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. He closed his eyes trying to restrain the annoyance in his voice. “What is it?”

“You said that your citizens’ worries were your own. That you would do everything in your power to ease those concerns, correct?” Agni pressed the issue.

“That is my duty. Yes.” Rexis bit his lip. He hated how his logic was being thrown back at him again. He began to shiver as the cold continued to surround his weakened body, but he didn’t dare move or look in the dragon’s direction. 

Agni spoke with confidence and commitment. “I claim this Kingdom as my home, the people of Glace as my family. As the Kingdom’s Benevolent Dragon, I am concerned for you and your wellbeing. You’re clearly in no condition to make decisions. Please go back to bed and reconsider the pact another day.”

Rexis grit his teeth. “I. am. fine.” He brought his hand with the gem back to wind up a strong throw, but his body protested the sudden movement and his knees buckled from under him. He heard gasps from around the room as he started to fall, but he didn’t hit the floor. The elf blinked, trying to register what just happened in a split second. He looked down to see a dark-skinned, muscled arm around his waist, in turn making him realize that there was someone holding him up. Rexis looked behind to see Agni’s deeply concerned eyes staring right back at him, inches away. Then he looked up to his right hand, still clutching the necklace, with Agni’s large hand wrapped around his. Looking forward towards the open window, his voice cracked as his body shook due to the drastic difference between the cold wind and Agni’s warmth. “Why?” 

“Because I like you. And as the Kingdom’s Benevolent, all are under my protection. Including you, Rex.”

Rexis couldn’t bring himself to tell him off about the nickname again. He chuckled dryly. “You’re gonna stay by me even if I say no, aren’t you?”

“What gave that away?” Agni said amusedly.

Rexis was sure it was because of the combination of the cold wind and the fever, but he liked how Agni’s warmth felt. Despite all the power and mana Rexis could detect within the dragon and the sheer physical strength he had to hold the prince up entirely with one arm, he was still gentle. The elf didn’t feel pinned to the dragon’s chest and Agni had been careful not to crush his hand. And just how_ fast_ did Agni move? The incredible amount of restraint the dragon showed despite his sheer power and boisterous personality was impressive to the Ice Prince to say the least. 

Rexis finally spoke again, letting his weight press entirely against the dragon, unable to stand as he felt his body trying to collapse on him again. He lowered his head as what strength he had gathered to throw the gem seemed to leave him. “You’re an odd one, you know that? But alright. I’ll consider your concern, Aniran, Benevolent Dragon of the Kingdom of Glace.” 

“Just consider?” Agni prompted, feeling the prince begin to shiver more violently against him. He gently pulled the prince’s hand down to his side before letting go. The dragon then reached over the elf and pulled the window shut.

Rexis sighed and conceded begrudgingly, dropping the necklace on the table in front of him. “Alright, alright. I’ll rest. I’ll relax.” 

“Good!” Agni perked up and picked the prince up bridal style. 

“H-Hey! I didn’t say you could-!” Rexis started as he felt himself being handled like a weightless child, but he quieted when he was being gently placed down on his bed. He silently fumed, face flush in embarrassment. He looked down trying to use his long hair to hide his face from the others in the room, especially Agni.

“You couldn’t stand, there was no way you were getting back to bed on your own!” Agni laughed. 

Abigail let out a held breath. “Thank you, Agni.”

Blackbird nodded. “It is also getting late. We should leave Prince Rexis to rest, _relax,_ and recover.” 

Agni nodded and looked to Rexis, who was still looking down, body language almost like that of a scolded child. “Shouldn’t someone keep an eye on him though? Incase his fever gets worse or something?”

The mentioning of being watched over broke the prince out of his thoughts. “I’m fine.” Rexis said as he managed to get himself back under the covers. He pulled them up over his face as a shiver went through him, his body still chilled as the room had cooled significantly. 

“Uh huh.” Agni gave him a disbelieving look. He looked to the still burning fireplace and a smirk crossed his face. He pointed his index finger at the flames and made a small circle in the air. As he slowly shifted where his finger pointed over to the bed, a shimmer of a heatwave moved through the air from the flames and settled over the shivering prince. The prince immediately stilled and a slight sigh of relief could be heard from under the covers. “Now you are.” Agni smiled, proud of himself. 

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a dragon manipulate the elements but you all still continue to impress.” Blackbird said with admiration. 

Lilliana opened a small notebook and scribbled something down, looking between Agni, the fireplace, and the shimmering heatwave that remained over the prince. Eyes sparkling with interest and excitement. 

“That was really cool~” Ammy said, looking to Agni with wide blue eyes.

“Thank you!” Agni smiled broadly. It was a simple trick to the dragon, but he felt it appropriate to help the prince feel better.

Abigail spoke up as she approached the dragon. “We probably ought to get you settled in somewhere for the night, Agni. Temporary, of course, until the prince decides where you’ll be staying.”

Agni looked to Rexis and then to Abigail. “Could I stay here?”

“I-in the prince’s room?” Norwik blinked, looking to the prince. “My prince, um…?”

Rexis waved a hand dismissively from under the covers. “Yeah, sure, whatever. Just let me sleep.” Exhaustion was starting to overtake him and he just wanted the crowd to leave.

“Oh, ok…” Norwik smiled sheepishly up to Agni. “Um, I could fetch some bedding? We could probably make you a bed...” He looked around the room, thinking. 

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t really need to sleep every day.” Agni chuckled lightly. 

“You don’t?” Sirius asked as he got up from the couch. 

“Nope. Not unless I really exhaust myself. You all woke me up from a nap, but that was more me trying to relax since I was wracking my brain figuring out the best way to approach the city in a friendly manner.” Agni explained with a shrug. “Otherwise I could go for about a week or two between overnight naps.”

Blackbird nodded, thinking. “If I recall correctly, Lady Sivani had a similar sleeping schedule. Once a week, that is.”

Adam smiled and spoke with an amused tone. “So now we know who takes night watch duties.” 

“If it helps, I don’t mind.” Agni nodded. 

“Are you lot going to stay here all night?” Rexis turned over in bed pulling a second pillow over his head. 

Abigail silently waved the others to follow her out the door. 

Agni looked to Rexis and then to the paladin. He simply pointed to himself then to the floor. 

Abigail gave him an understanding nod before closing the door, leaving the dragon to be the only one in the room besides the prince.

Agni looked around the room, taking in more of the details now that he had the chance to. The pictures caught his eye and he walked over to the dresser. He could easily guess which one Rexis was in each of them, noting a man and woman in one who he guessed to be the King and Queen. He picked up the picture, seeing a young smiling Rexis between the two.

“That was my twentieth birthday.” Rexis commented, peering over the edge of the covers. 

Agni jolted a bit at the unexpected commentary. He blinked in surprise at the elf. “I thought you were wanting to sleep.”

Rexis started to sit up. “Not really. Not yet anyway. I just wanted them all to leave me alone.” 

Agni quickly circled his finger in the air to move the heatwave out of the way. He hesitated before speaking. “And me?”

“You’re free to do as you wish. Only The King could give a Dragon of the Kingdom orders. And even then, you have the right to refuse them.” Rexis explained simply. His overall demeanor was that of resignation.

“If you don’t want me here, you can just ask.” Agni looked over the prince with concern. 

“It’s fine.” Rexis said as he looked at his bandaged hand. “Afterall, I’m the one who didn’t want you to leave.” He then looked up to Agni while patting the bed beside him. 

Agni put the picture back and silently complied, expression turning to confusion at the welcoming gesture. He sat on the edge of the bed, leaning back against the canopy post at the foot of the bed to Rexis’ right. 

Rexis stayed silent for a moment. “... Can I see your tail?”

Agni blinked. “Uh, sure.” He scoot forward a bit and his tail appeared like a shifting heatwave, laying across the bed lazily. 

Rexis moved his hands towards the long tail that now laid over his legs. “Can I?”

Agni shrugged. “Yeah. Just don’t cut yourself again, ok?” 

“I won’t.” Rexis carefully ran his fingertips over the scales. A look of fascination like a child slowly appeared on the prince’s face. “So you can just will different… body parts? Into and out of existence? And you still feel this even though your tail wasn’t here a moment ago?”

Agni smiled in amusement at the prince’s child-like interest. “Yeah! I obviously don’t feel anything if I don’t have it though!” He laughed as he slowly wagged the tip of his tail, careful not to cut the covers with his axe spines. 

Rexis looked to the tip of the dragon's tail with a frown. “So you can shift your whole tail in and out of existence…” He narrowed his eyes at the axe-like tail tip. “Can you remove just those spines?”

Agni looked at his own tail thoughtfully before laughing. “Why didn’t I think of that?!” After a moment of obvious concentration, the spines all along his tail disappeared. 

“You didn’t have to get rid of all of them!” Rexis chuckled.

“I don’t want to risk hurting you.” Agni said more seriously. 

Rexis sighed. “Fair enough.” Now that all the spines were gone, he picked up the surprisingly heavy tail and more closely examined the dragon’s scales. He turned Agni’s tail this way and that, noting how the light reflected off the primary scales with a golden sheen. 

Agni started snorting and stifling his laughs. 

Rexis looked at him confused.

“T-that tickles…” Agni managed to get out while still stifling his laugh. The dragon still had his pride but he wanted to be honest with the prince on what was going on.

Rexis’ expression became unreadable as he considered his options.

Agni stiffened, trying to slowly pull his tail away while the feverish prince seemed to stop paying attention to him.

“Consider this payback for embarrassing me earlier.” Rexis stated simply as he proceeded to lightly trail his fingers across the middle section of the dragon's tail in a rapid manner. 

“SNRK! PFFFFF! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Agni gripped his sides as he keeled over onto the bed, tail twitching under Rexis’ assault.

“At least I’ll let you save your pride in front of the others!” Rexis laughed, continuing for a few seconds longer before he stopped to let the dragon catch his breath. 

“HAHAHA! Haaaa! Hoooo!” Agni finally sat back up, curling his tail around himself to be out of reach from Rexis. “You know, I never would have guessed you had a side to you like this!” 

Rexis felt light headed from laughing so much. He shook his head. “Just when I’m in the mood. Don’t expect it to be a normal occurrence.”

“What got you into the mood then?” Agni inquired for future reference. 

“.... Honestly? I don’t know. Probably this fever. Or maybe it's because I’m tired of putting a mask up all the time and you’re the only one who I can’t pull rank on besides my parents. And even then....” Rexis’ expression fell. “Maybe it’s because… as absurd as this sounds to me… You don’t care about fancy titles and all. Race, class, rank, magick power, age… You don’t care about any of that, do you?”

“Nope! Good people will be good people. Bad people will be bad people.” Agni shrugged. “Other dragons look down on Small Ones all the time but… That just doesn’t sit right with me. Yeah, we’re far more powerful and all, but why does that matter? You clearly have something I don’t… Something I…” It was Agni’s turn to trail off as his shoulders drooped.

“Something you want?” Rexis completed.

“Yeah, but I’ll be honest, I can’t quite place what it is.” Agni frowned as he crossed his arms. “I just know that I feel like I’m missing _something_. And that something draws me to you and the others here. I _see _it but I don’t know what _it _is.”

Rexis brought a hand up to his chin, trying to think hard through the feverish fog of his brain. “Maybe as you spend time here with us you’ll figure it out? I’m drawing blanks.”

Agni nodded. “I hope so!”

Silence settled in for a moment. Then, out of nowhere, Rexis started chuckling.

“What’s so funny?” Agni tilted his head. 

“I’ve known you for an afternoon, and yet here you are, sitting here on my bed while I’m sick and at my most vulnerable. Yet I feel so… relaxed.” He threw his hands into the air. “It’s so odd! It’s absurd! Clearly something is wrong with me!”

“You have a fever.” Agni pointed out, but he felt better hearing the prince admit he felt relaxed in his presence.

“That too.” Rexis said, smiling as he gazed down at the light blue comforter. The smile slowly turned wistful. “There are some days where I wish I was twenty again. I didn’t have to care about proper etiquette so much. Protocols were for the adults. Sure, there was curfew, but I didn’t have so much to…” He sighed. “To stress and worry about. I didn’t have people's lives in my hands. Where one wrong word... one wrong phrase…” He looked up to Agni apologetically. “Will determine someone’s fate.”

“Hey, I forgive you for that.” Agni’s gaze then dropped. “And I’m sorry you got sliced by my tail.” 

Rexis shook his head. He opened his mouth to repeat what he had said before, but then decided differently. “I forgive you, Agni. Look, we obviously got off to a bad start. I’m not used to being around someone who… just treats me as a person, an equal, just because you _chose_ to.” He watched the dragon look up to him in surprise. Rexis gave him a flat stare as he continued. “I don’t know if I could ever get used to your... _lively personality_…” He then softened his gaze. “But I can respect that you mean well and sincerely want to help.” 

Rexis then offered the other man his good hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Agni. And welcome to the Kingdom of Glace.”

Agni stared at Rexis in shock for a full second before smiling broadly. He took the elf’s hand in a firm but gentle grip. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Rex! And thanks for accepting me to be a part of the Kingdom.”

Rexis sighed. “Just don’t use that nickname in public, please.”

Agni laughed. “Alright, alright! I won’t!”

Rexis then reached up and pulled at the ribbons holding the canopy curtains back. The light of the fireplace was still somewhat visible through the curtains, but it wasn’t enough to keep the prince awake. “I think I’m going to get some rest now. I don’t know what you’re gonna do, but feel free to take a seat over by the fireplace. Grab a book from the library or… something…” The prince settled back down into bed, the chills overtaking him again. 

Agni stood up, letting the curtains he was blocking fall into place. He readjusted the blanketing heat shimmer back over the ill elf. “I’ll keep you warm. It’s a simple trick but I do have to maintain it.”

“I appreciate it, but are you sure you want to do that all night?” Rexis asked sleepily.

“If it helps you, I’m more than happy to.” Agni said as he turned and picked up the Dragon’s-Soul gem, turning it over in his hand. 

“Alright. Good night, Agni.” 

“Good night, Rex.”


	6. A Prince of Isolation

A routine started over the next few days for the Ice Prince and Crimson Dragon. Agni would wait until Rexis woke up, had something to eat, and fall back asleep before going out to help the shepherds with whatever tasks they needed done that day. The dragon would return shortly before dinner, eat with the Knights, and then accompany Rexis for what few hours he managed to stay coherently awake for. Agni would then keep watch over Rexis as he slept, keeping him warm with manipulated fire mana.

Come the fourth day, Rexis was well enough to get some work done, catching up on what he had missed and writing a letter to his father on what had happened regarding Agni. 

The fifth day was his weekly day of rest as insisted by his Knights, so the prince was allowed to simply wake up whenever he happened to. The sun was high in the sky by the time Rexis woke up on this day. The shutters of the windows were partially open to let some of the daylight in, but the canopy curtains filtered most of the light. 

The prince hadn't slept well that night as he was plagued by nightmares, but as much as he wanted to keep sleeping, Rexis forced himself to sit up. He peered through the curtains and upon noticing that the familiar dragon wasn't there, the Ice Prince felt an odd pang of disappointment. He frowned at himself. Had he really gotten used to Agni's constant presence so quickly, despite how over-the-top and overly friendly he was? Or maybe it was because he was so friendly that Rexis found himself beginning to enjoy the dragon's company, despite having slept so much the past few days.

The Ice Prince dragged himself out of bed and went through his typical morning routine, feeling better about getting back into the rhythm of things. Seeing as how it was his planned day off and Blackbird was taking care of the daily goings on of the city, Rexis slipped out of the castle and ventured into the lunch crowd. He wore a simple blue cloak over a winter-weight, padded black tunic and pants. While he left his crown in his room, his royal sword hung on his hip hidden by the oversized cloak, in case something came up that needed his authority. He pulled the furred hood up to shield himself against the cold, though it also doubled to help hide his identity. He also parted his hair down the center to frame his face differently, trying to add to the undercover look. 

It would not be the first time Rexis had ventured out relatively undercover, as he often did so back in the capital. To him, it was a way to really get a feel of how the people acted and interacted without the concern of acting “proper” in front of royalty. 

Rexis casually made his way to The Golden Bucket. The overall mood and chatter around the city seemed fairly positive, some people still expressing relief that the dragon was a Benevolent. A cheerful voice greeted him as he entered the tavern.

“Welcome to The Golden Bucket! Feel free to sit anywhere you like and I’ll be right with you!” A half-elf woman in a simple violet dress addressed the new arrival. 

Rexis simply nodded and glanced around the tavern, which was quite packed and lively as expected for the lunch hour. He saw a long table with a couple of the shepherds he had met before that had a few free chairs. They were casually chatting and having lunch and he decided to go over to them. He spoke with a quieter, almost meek tone of voice as he neared them. “Excuse me, mind if I join you?” 

“Th’ more th’ merrier!” One of the older human men at the table, Adrian, in dark green clothes smiled warmly to the prince. 

“Yous don’t looks to be from ‘round here. Yous a trav’ler?” A young dwarven man in brown clothes, Nickolai, asked, glancing over Rexis. 

The prince smiled, glad that they didn’t recognise him right away. He kept his tone in the same manner of speaking as he sat down by Adrian. “Ah, yes. I hadn’t been to the northern parts of the kingdom before so I thought I’d make the time before winter set in.” Rexis replied with a simple smile, leaving his hood up and letting it cast a bit of shade over his eyes. 

“Seems to me you’re not one for the cold, with how bundled you are even indoors.” A middle-aged human man in dark brown clothes, Kent, laughed lightly. “Good thing you made your trip now before the next snowstorm hits!”

“Are snowstorms common even in the fall?” Rexis asked with a curious tone. He already knew the weather patterns of the area from what Blackbird and Etha had informed him, but he had a cover to maintain.

Adrian bobbed his head side to side, shrugging. “Mid to late fall. We just ‘ad our first storm of th’ season a couple o’ weeks ago. Winter, however, ain’t no one travelling ‘round these parts. We get blizzards then.”

“That sounds dreadful.” Rexis commented as the half-dwarf across from him, Makner, handed him a menu. The prince looked it over as Adrian continued speaking. 

“Th’ guard do a good job helping us simple folks keep th’ streets cleared to keep things a’runnin’. So we manage for th’ most part, even in th’ worst o’ storms. Donno’ ‘ow long you intend ta stay, but I suggest you head ‘ome after a week or two.” 

Rexis nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind, thank you. Hmmm…” He brought a hand up to his chin in thought as he actually couldn’t decide what he wanted to try first of the tavern's menu. “Have any suggestions for what to eat? All of this looks quite interesting…”

The other four men looked to each other and nodded. Makner spoke up. “For first timers we always recommend the lamb stew. Local specialty made by the assistant chef, actually. Poor Zina’s always got her hands full keepin a pot of the stuff going when it gets cold, but it’s well worth the wait.”

“How’d I know you were going to recommend that dish,” the waitress in violet shook her head as she came over. She then looked to Rexis. “Name’s Kamaria, I’ll be taking care of you this fine afternoon. So, would you like a bowl of the lamb stew? Or did something else catch your fancy?”

“A bowl of the local specialty sounds wonderful.” Rexis smiled up to the waitress. “Oh, and a water.”

“Aw, just good ol water? Have an ale! It goes great with the stew and warms ya right up!” Kent laughed. 

“Ah, maybe next time.” Rexis gave the man a sheepish smile. The last thing Rexis wanted to do was drink when he was information gathering, not that any of the men there knew what he was really up to.

“Coming right up.” Kamaria nodded to Rexis before weaving her way between the tables to the kitchen. 

“May I ask what’s been going on around these parts lately? I thought I heard whispers of a dragon on the way here.” Rexis asked the others at the table. 

“Oho! Word does indeed travel fast in th’ kingdom!” Adrian laughed before nodding. “We do indeed ‘ave a local dragon o' our own. First Benevolent we’ve ‘ad in two hundred years or somethin’ after th’ previous gal left ta find a mate apparently! And ‘er son is th’ one who’s settled in for th’ long haul! Poor boy had a few run-ins with those dang Sigmunites to the north…”

“Oh?” Rexis prompted.

“I get that they had a few Destructives come through in the last few centuries, but that doesn’t mean _every_ dragon is a bad egg.” Makner picked up passing the local news along. “Those Sigmunites have certainly made a name for themselves of being not too keen on dragons. But because of that, Agni, the Crimson who’s moved in, was starvin. I understand that he didn’t want to scare us being a hungry dragon and all, but I would have happily given him a few sheep if he asked.” He then waved his hand dismissively. “But that’s all sorted out now. He’s helping us out for a time in return.

“He’s doin’ a mighty fine job, too! Ran off some wolves last night an’ probably saved more sheep than he took! Great addition to th’ city if I do say so m’self!” Adrian chimed back in with a hearty laugh. 

Rexis relaxed a bit, glad to hear that Agni was being accepted relatively well despite the initial hiccups. He then simply nodded and thanked the waitress as Kamaria brought over his food. 

“Eat up! Eat up! A traveller coming from across the Kingdom ought to eat well!” Kent said before taking another swig of his ale. 

“Haha, thank you.” Rexis fought his trained instinct to “eat properly” and resigned himself to eat with the wooden spoon provided. After silently cooling it a touch, he took a bite and nodded vigorously. The stew was as delicious as the men implied it was. He kept silently eating as the men continued talking.

"Though I feels bad for the poor bloke, worrying himself over the prince…" Nickolai said absentmindedly. Rexis gave him a questioning look as he tilted his head. The dwarf continued his thought. "I mean, we's all are, with the prince being sick 'n all. He just arrived after trav'lin for so long from the capital. Must've caught somethin trav'lin up the mountain to talk to Agni. Altitude sickness is a thing 'round these parts for those not used to it."

"We tried reassuring th' dragon that th' prince'll be 'aight, but he seems ta 'ave made up his mind about protectin' Prince Rexis at any cost. Admirable, really, but also reckless in ma 'onest opinion." Adrian commented. "Maybe he'll calm down once th' prince is back on his feet again." He then turned and faced Rexis. "Oh right! Donno' if word got out about this ta th' rest o' th' Kingdom yet, but th' Ice Prince Rexis has been put in charge o' th' Northern Mounts. True ta th' rumors he's a bit distant, obviously not one ta make new friends easily, but I can tell he's got his 'eart in th' right place with regards ta us simpler folks under his care. A good young man in a tough position, really." The older man nodded sagely.

"Yeah, we had a chat about the dragon last week and he took care of the situation the next day! I think he'll fill his uncle's and Blackbird's boots just fine!" Kent said with a hearty chuckle. The other three nodded their agreements.

Rexis wanted to thank the men for the boost in confidence, but he held his tongue as he finished his meal. The men went on to talk about the "local attractions", like the dragon's caves and the hot springs, and Rexis took note of some of the places that the men recommended to check out later. At one point Kamaria came over and added her two cents in with regards to some of the local shops and artisans to visit.

Rexis thanked them for the information and excused himself to go check in at the local inn after paying his tab. The men offered to give him a tour later and he thanked them saying he'd let them know once he had settled in. As the prince left the tavern, however, a commotion towards his right caught his attention. 

"I get it's his day off, but where did he slip off to this time?!" Abigail fumed as she practically stormed down the street perpendicular to the one the prince was currently standing in. 

Ammy followed looking around, nose in the air, looking worried. "I-I'm sure he's fine! Probably wanted to go for a walk after being bedridden for so long."

"Whoops!" Rexis immediately turned and fled in the other direction. He didn't want to face the paladin's lecture in front of the crowd that was watching the search party. "I must have forgotten to leave a note…" He chuckled sheepishly to himself.

He quickly made his way to the farmer's market, after asking directions a few times of course, and finally found the dragon he was looking for. He trusted the shepherds' accounts on how Agni was handling things, but he also wanted to see what the dragon was up to himself.

When Rexis found him, Agni was carrying several bales of hay to one of the nearby stables, a bale under each arm and his tail was tightly curled around three more. He was following an older dwarven woman who was smiling warmly to the Crimson.

“Right in here, dear. You’ll see the troughs throughout the stable. As you put one in each of those troughs, I’ll follow and cut the twine off each.” The woman in leather work clothes smiled up to the comparatively giant man.

“No problem!” Agni gave her a broad smile and headed inside. 

Rexis peeked around the corner of the stable doors and saw Agni put the bales in the troughs as asked, but he did so in a very showy manner. He’d toss a bale effortlessly into the air, catch it in one hand, and then put it down, doing so in a slightly different manner for each one. Clearly the dragon was proud of his strength and prince couldn’t help but internally groan as the woman complimented the dragon accordingly. The prince didn’t understand the point of showing off to an audience of one, but if this was how he was with just one person watching, then it must simply be how Agni was as a person. Before Agni did his little show with the last bale, Rexis ducked back out of the stable and made his way to the farmer’s market proper. 

The prince took his time to look around and even asked some questions on various products, being the “travelling visitor” that he was for the time being, but his mind kept wandering back to the dragon. If he were honest, he didn’t want the citizens to get reliant on Agni like that all the time and end up with him being taken advantage of. Agni was a Benevolent Dragon, after all, a being to be revered and respected, not treated like some tool to do all the heavy lifting. As he turned the corner towards another set of artisan stalls, Rexis decided that he’d talk to Agni about it later. 

As Rexis was looking at some unique pottery created with gems baked into the clay, a hand firmly grasped his shoulder. He jumped slightly but managed to keep his façade up. He turned with a nervous smile to the person behind him, keeping his tone quiet. “C-can I help you?”

“It _is_ you! You had me fooled for a while there!” Agni laughed loudly.

“P-pardon?” Rexis blinked and looked around nervously. How did Agni figure it out? He was sure the dragon didn’t see him earlier. Rexis felt the confused shopkeeper’s eyes on his back and others nearby also turned to see the commotion.

“Aw come on, don’t give me that!” Agni wrapped an arm around the prince’s shoulders and pulled him into a close side-hug.

Rexis looked down, letting his hood shield his face from curious eyes. He quietly hissed at the dragon, sure that his face was going flush in embarrassment. “Please keep it down. You’re drawing way too much attention. And if Abby finds me before I get back, I’m in trouble.” 

Agni turned serious. “What’d you do?”

The prince sighed. “I forgot to leave a note letting them know I was going to be out and about undercover.” Rexis admitted in a barely audible whisper.

“Oh! Why didn’t you just say so instead of acting all confused?” Agni laughed again before quieting. “But don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” He let go of Rexis and turned to the shop, trying to come up with something to cover Rexis’ identity to the bystanders. “So, let’s get her something nice!”

“The confusion was a real reaction though. How’d you know it was me?” Rexis asked keeping his voice low, looking back to the pottery.

“I’d know those cerulean eyes anywhere.” Agni chuckled, carefully picking up a medium-sized pot with a mix of rubies and topaz arraigned in a flame pattern.

“You’ve known me for about a week.” Rexis shook his head. “Unbelievable…”

“What is?” Agni looked to the prince with a raised eyebrow. 

“You!” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Are my eyes that unique after all your travels?” Rexis asked, almost exasperated already.

“Yes. And they’re the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.” Agni responded immediately with a tone of admiration. 

Rexis went speechless and he felt heat rush to his cheeks and ears. He picked up a small jar with a variety of gems embedded into the black clay. There were five colors of gems that were arranged in the shapes of the elemental symbols they represented. The lid had a swirl of black and white with respectively colored gems to represent the light and dark elements. Rexis managed to speak in a quiet tone, albeit out of being embarrassed in front of the shopkeeper rather than trying to keep his disguise up. “I think I’ll get this one and the one he’s holding.”

“What about that one?” Agni pointed to a medium pot with a blue and white ice and snowflake pattern sitting between one with an Earth pattern and one with a Wind pattern.

Rexis thought for a moment as he looked to the Fire themed pot Agni was holding and then the Ice themed pot. “Yeah, that one too.” 

The prince paid for the three items and the shopkeeper happily wrapped up the pots to keep them safe as Rexis wanted to continue looking around the farmers market. Without a word, Agni took the satchel that held the pots. 

“I can carry them, you know.” Rexis protested as the two walked on to the next stall.

Agni shrugged. “I want to, though. And you’ve been sick lately, so no need to strain yourself.” He held the satchel up with an index finger. “After all, clay pottery is heavy.”

“I may not have the strength of a dragon but I’m not _that_ fragile.” The prince pouted. “Why are you such a showoff?” He added under his breath, narrowing his eyes at the Crimson.

Agni’s ear twitched and a sly smile slowly spread across his face. “What was that?”

Rexis rolled his eyes. “You’re insufferable.” He then continued on, looking over the nearby shops’ wares.

Agni caught up with a couple steps and then nudged Rexis with an elbow. “Admit it, you liked my little show earlier at the stables.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Rexis blatantly lied, knowing now that Agni saw him watching. He then stopped and turned to Agni. Agni stopped and looked to the prince as Rexis opened his mouth to speak before closing it and shaking his head with a sigh. The dragon gave him a more confused look and the Ice Prince waved a hand dismissively. “Nevermind.”

“What is it?” Agni pressed anyway.

Rexis had the feeling Agni was going to keep pressing until he asked anyway. “I don’t recall you glancing at me even once during your ‘little show’. How did you know I was there?” 

“Dragon’s intuition. We always know when the people we like are near.” Agni explained simply with a shrug like it was common knowledge. 

Rexis blinked, perplexed by the thought that the dragon had actually taken a shine to him like a puppy would to a child. He sighed and continued walking, moving around a lively group of people. “Have I mentioned before that you’re an odd one?”

“You’re the odd one. Everyone here is so friendly but you’re always so cold and distant.” Agni frowned. “You haven’t once looked at me in directly the eyes this entire afternoon. Or even the last few days except when we first met and then when I stopped you from throwing the Dragon’s-Soul gem away. Do you avoid looking others in the eye in general or is it just me you avoid? And why do you keep yourself so distant when you clearly care about the people around you? Is it really all because of your position?”

Rexis didn’t respond as he bit his lower lip, lowering his head to hide in the hood again. He didn’t want to admit that he did look others in the eyes, but only when the other person wasn’t looking. He knew his own eyes gave away more than he wanted and if the wrong person were to realize what he was really thinking at any given time it would ruin his perfect poker face, especially in political situations. He had found that by not making direct eye contact, it added to his mask of the Ice Prince, the distance everyone kept talking about, and people in turn acted and reacted how he expected with regards to his position as a prince. 

It wasn’t that Rexis didn’t want to look others in the eye, but it was the only counter he had found for his warm and loving heart when Abigail and Adam told him he was too friendly for his station so long ago. When they told him he would keep be taken advantage of since his kindness was greater than even the King’s and his, at the time, recently deceased uncle’s. And he didn’t want that to be the case. So, he decided back then to carefully craft his reputation, isolating his emotions from all but a select few he trusted deeply. After a while though, dodging people’s gazes became habit even with those he trusted, much to his mother’s displeasure.

When the two reached the end of the farmer’s market, Rexis finally spoke up again. He stared down at the satchel in Agni’s hand, his hood shading his eyes as the sun began its descent between the mountains. His voice decided to betray him this time as an undertone of sadness was carried with the words. “It’s not just you.” He then reached over and took the satchel from Agni, who didn’t protest. Rexis registered how heavy the bag was, as Agni had said earlier, but he paid it no real mind. “Oh, and a word of advice… Be careful that your friendliness isn’t taken advantage of. Helping others is nice and all, but don’t do everything for everyone whenever you’re asked. You’ll kill yourself that way.” With that, the prince turned for the castle, head lowered. He didn’t want to keep going with the topic as his chest was beginning to ache. But he was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t pay attention to the dragon following him shortly after.

“There you are! Where did you go?!” Abigail rushed over to the prince as he entered the castle courtyard. 

“Shopping.” Rexis said simply, putting on a false smile to hide how heavy his heart was feeling. “Sorry I forgot to write a note. I’ll make sure to next time.”

The paladin sighed. “I figured you were doing your undercover thing again, but we were worried.” 

“You mean you were, Abby.” Adam commented flatly. “We know the prince can handle himself in town.”

Abigail turned on him. “At the capital, sure! Rexis grew up there! But we’re the major border city with a country that isn’t exactly the friendliest. Anything could happen!”

“Don’t worry, Abby. I was with him for a good while.” Agni said as he patted Rexis’ shoulder. “I won’t let anything happen to his pretty little head!” He gave a hearty laugh.

Rexis nodded before moving out from under Agni’s hand and waking past Abigail. “I’m going to go back to bed. I think I’ve had enough excitement for one day.” 

Abigail looked to Agni. “Did something happen?”

Agni shrugged. “I may have hit a nerve with a question, but he didn’t get angry or tell me off about it, so I don’t know.”

Rexis sighed as he moved out of earshot of the conversation. He went on up to his room and carefully unpacked the pots and jar. He put the jar on the vanity, picking up the Dragon’s-Soul necklace and carefully placing it inside. He then put the two pots on either side of the chest at the foot of his bed, the Ice themed one on the right towards his desk and the Fire themed one on the left. He proceeded to get ready for bed and then flopped down on the soft sheets. 

His mind swirled, torn between what he did to protect himself and what he really wanted. Old scars had been torn open and he buried his face into the pillow, overcome with grief all over again. A little while later, the sound of claws on stone caught his attention and he sighed. 

“Could you _at least_ use the door and knock like everyone else? _Please?_” Rexis didn’t bother with hiding his annoyance. This room was supposed to be his one sanctuary from everything. The one place he could let the princely mask fall away and just be who he wanted to be without anyone seeing how weak and fragile he really felt. Hearing a knock at the door was his one warning to put that mask back on. And yet this dragon kept catching him at his worst, circumventing it and seeing him for who he was. 

“Oh, sorry.” Agni’s voice was gentler than Rexis anticipated, causing the prince to sit up and find the dragon already gone. 

A moment later, Rexis heard a knock at the door. He sighed softly, crossing his legs as he made himself comfortable on his bed. Had this really become their evening habit? Chatting for a bit on the day’s events before the prince went to sleep? The Ice Prince kept considering to deny Agni for an evening of peace and quiet, but he couldn’t bare to see the dragon so heartbroken again. Not like that first night. Not again. “Come in.” 

Angi entered the room, closing the door behind him. The darker man uncharacteristically walked slowly across the room to stand by the bed. He scratched the back of his head as he gave Rexis a worried look. “Hey, about earlier... Sorry if I hit a nerve. And I’m sorry to hear about your uncle. He sounded like a great guy.”

Rexis closed his eyes and sighed. A mix of emotions washed over him but he kept his voice as steady as possible. “Abigail told you about him, hmm? What else did she say?”

“That the advice you gave me was what she and her brother had told you. And that’s why you don’t look anyone in the eyes.”

“Did she tell you I’m too emotional for my own good too? That I’m too kind for my own good?” His voice started echoing his agitation as he gripped the sheets tightly. “That I’ll be taken advantage of again? I get that she means well but does she have to tell you my life’s story every chance she gets!? And why you of all people? She doesn't say a word to anyone about the secrets I’ve asked her to keep, she doesn’t even slip them to my own mother, but you…” Rexis looked the surprised Agni in the eyes. “What is it about you that you manage to get everyone to open up and trust you like they’ve known you all their life? I just can’t wrap my head around you.”

“Maybe it’s because I know quite a bit about you, but you don’t actually know much about me. But I’m not complicated. I don’t have anything to hide.” Agni said with a shrug. “Actually, allowing yourself to be friendly also helps you connect with people and find friends. Even with the risk getting hurt or betrayed.”

Rexis bit his lip, holding back the cold response that his anger had crafted in an instant. He knew Agni was right. 

Agni visibly studied the prince’s eyes, his expression softening. “I see what she means though. Your eyes really do betray you most of all.”

Rexis immediately looked away from Agni, his hair creating a curtain to hide his face entirely from the other man. He felt like he had been stabbed. “It’s not fair…”

“What isn’t?” Agni asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed. 

“Two and a half decades… Almost twenty five years of this reputation that I’ve perfected, this public mask that I constantly wear… and you just…” Rexis started chuckling at the absurdity of it all. “You just waltz into my life and see past it like it’s crystal clear ice. Nothing I do gets past you. Nothing I hide is secret for long. No matter what I do I feel powerless against you. And I don’t understand why.”

“Abby also said-” Agni stopped and stared at the prince, expression turning to shock and then worry.

Rexis had looked back to the dragon, tears streaming down his face. “Enough of what that motherly paladin says or doesn’t say. It’s been a week, albeit I’ve been sick for most of it, but what do _you_ actually think of me? Of the man before you, not the infamous Ice Prince.”

“I wouldn't say infamous. The folks around town do seem to like you, despite your cool exterior,” Agni corrected. He seemed to search Rexis’ eyes for something before continuing. “You’re someone in desperate need of a good friend.”

Rexis couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the comment. 

“Hear me out.” Agni quickly stated before Rexis could say anything. Once the prince’s attention was back on him, he continued with calm tone. “Twenty five years is a long time to emotionally isolate yourself, even for us long lived beings. Even more so for someone with a gentle and loving heart like you. I said it earlier: it’s clear you care deeply for those around you. You care about the people in this city, the people of the region, and of the Kingdom as a whole. You made a point to settle the matter with me as soon as you arrived, despite the risk of not knowing if I was a Benevolent or Destructive. You’re kind and generous, allowing even your personal Knights to go out and make friends of any class or situation. You stress over everyone else’s wellbeing to the point of making yourself sick. Sure, your reactions elicit a good laugh, but I like you for you. Call it a Benevolent’s intuition if you want, but you’re someone who’s genuine in your actions and strong in your convictions, despite the mask you put up and the occasional cold and cutting words.”

Rexis dropped his gaze as Agni continued. “And that distance you put between yourself and others is because you’re afraid of getting hurt. You even keep a distance between yourself and your Knights. And you implied keeping a distance with your own parents a few days ago. You made yourself lonely, Rex. You keep hurting yourself by bottling everything up and trying to carry everything on your own shoulders. For what? How is_ actively_ hurting yourself better than the _chance_ of being hurt by someone else?”

“Because at least I’m the one doing it. I have no one to blame but myself.” Rexis looked back to him indignantly. 

Agni leaned forward, the mana visible his eyes flaring a touch. “So. You do everything you can to take care of others, but you don’t even consider how _they feel_ with you preventing them from being able to properly show that they care for you in return? Do you know how stressful it is watching someone you care for destroy himself needlessly? Do you really care for your people and your friends? Or have you built up your princely pride to strangle your own heart’s desires?” 

Agni sat back up, leaning against the canopy support beam as his tone softened again. “The people around you would be happier if you left the Ice Prince to the politics and allowed Rexis to be himself with his friends and the people who actually care about him. That is why someone like me is able to both wield power and become friends with everyone I meet. Yeah, I’ve been hurt before. But that doesn’t mean I have to stop being kind to those around me because of a few bastards. I choose to be kind despite that pain because I want to. Because that’s what my heart wants and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Rexis stared at Agni, slack jawed slightly. His breath was caught in his chest, the words stuck in his throat. But at the same time he didn’t even know how to respond. The dragon’s last words hit him harder than anything else. He wanted to be warm and kind to everyone he met. But he was scared. Terrified. He build up such high walls around his heart that even the prospect of allowing anyone in scared him. But the man sitting before him slipped past all his defenses. And they both knew it. Rexis felt emotionally exposed and vulnerable for the first time in a long time and he didn’t know what to do. So he just stared, searching the Crimson’s firey eyes for the answer. 

Agni finally broke the silence, watching Rexis' eyes as the prince internally fell apart. “You’ve never had anyone be so honest with you, have you? Not even your parents are ever completely honest with you because of all the eyes watching them, with being the King and Queen and all, right?”

Rexis closed his mouth and simply shook his head. He then closed his eyes, pressing his lips into a thin line as he tried to hold himself together out of habit. The hot tears slipped out anyway. Part of him feared the dragon’s judgement, but he had already asked for it. And Agni didn’t once mention that he thought Rexis weak. He didn’t once say that the prince was “too emotional”. Agni made it clear that he understood and cared for Rexis’ emotional wellbeing, not just his physical or mental health. Something Rexis had never felt from anyone but his mother when they had the rare quiet moment alone. 

The dragon spoke up again. “You need someone who is both honest with you and who you can be completely honest with yourself. I volunteer myself, of course, but it takes two for a friendship. I can only do what you’ll allow.” 

Agni’s gentle voice both soothed and upset Rexis more. His heart ached, wanting such a friend who wouldn’t judge him for being himself. It made sense that Agni would be a great choice given all that had happened and the current situation, but Rexis couldn’t fight his fear. 

He couldn’t fight it alone.

The prince curled up, wrapping his arms around his legs and putting his forehead on top of his knees. He felt himself trembling, on the edge of a full break down. And he couldn’t pull himself back together. He finally spoke, voice quivering but he didn’t care. He couldn’t even focus on what he was really saying with his ears ringing as all his emotions were crashing down on him. “I… could use… a friend… like you...”

“Want a hug?” Came the dragon’s immediate reply.

Rexis simply nodded, keeping his face hidden behind his knees. He felt the bed shift as the other man got up and then sat back down next to him. Warmth surrounded him as Agni wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a close but gentle hug. Feeling that gentle warmth was the tipping point for the lonely Ice Prince, feeling safe enough to let himself cry in his new friend’s arms.

Agni was glad that the prince accepted him and his offer of friendship, but he also felt for Rexis and his loneliness. He simply held the smaller man close, rubbing his back and speaking the occasional reassuring words that everything would be alright and that he would be okay. He didn’t know how long they sat there like that, but when the prince finally quieted, he noted that Rexis had exhausted himself upon seeing the dull look in his bloodshot eyes.

“Feeling better?” Agni prompted. 

Rexis simply hummed a confirmation, still leaning against the darker man’s chest.

“Tired?” Agni followed up. 

Rexis closed his eyes, nodding slightly before slowly pulling away from the comforting warmth to weakly scoot himself under the covers. He gave up halfway and simply flopped down onto the pile of pillows at the head of the bed.

Agni took pity on the exhausted elf and gently scooped him up, moving him onto the bed properly and pulling the covers up over Rexis. 

Rexis involuntarily shivered under the cool covers but closed his stinging eyes once more. Warmth enveloped him seconds later as Agni created a gentle blanket of fire mana again. “Thank you, Agni.” He managed to get out as he looked up at the dragon from behind the covers, his voice sounding hoarse as his dry throat resisted him.

“Any time, Rex.” Angi smiled down at the prince. 

“I know you went out last night… scared off the wolves… but… could you.... stay here tonight?” Rexis still felt weak and vulnerable. His walls had crumbled and he was still trying to wrap his head around everything that had happened. 

“Yeah, anything for a friend.” Agni reassured as he pulled the ribbons holding the canopy curtains back. “I’ll be right over there next to the fireplace. Let me know if you need anything else.”

Rexis hummed and nodded, closing his eyes again. He then heard the dragon close the shutters of the windows. Seconds later the crackle of the fireplace become a little livelier as the Crimson played with the fire mana within. Despite how tired his body was from the process of finally releasing all the bottled-up stress and emotions, Rexis’ heart certainly felt better and lighter, especially in having a friend he knew he could rely on: Aniran the Benevolent Dragon. With anticipation for the days to follow, Rexis quickly drifted off to sleep.

  
  



	7. Old Habits and New Routines

Per his usual schedule, Rexis was woken up by Norwik opening the shutters fully and drawing back the curtains of the canopy. The prince woke up with a headache, but brushed it off as he wanted to finally get into the swing of things in taking care of the city and his region. His enthusiasm for the day dulled slightly at breakfast as he watched not one, but three people eat without “proper” table manners. 

Rexis tried his best to hide his disgust, for a lack of a better term, as he looked to Ammy. “A sleepover?”

“Yep!” The wolf anima cheerfully replied. “You said they could come over anytime as long as they were with me so I thought a sleepover would be fun!”

Rexis smiled with resignation. “I did say that.”

“It was a lot of fun!” Aeryn chimed in after swallowing a mouthful of food. 

The Knights sat in their usual places with Rexis at the head of the table. The young orange-haired girl sat across from Ammy with Evo to her left while Agni sat across from Evo, to Ammy’s right. 

“What’d you do?” Agni asked, his mouth full of food. He swallowed before grabbing another couple of boiled eggs with his bare hands and popping them into his mouth.

“We played a couple card games and chatted late into the night! Ammy tells really good stories!” Aeryn answered the Crimson with a bright smile. Evo nodded to confirm as she stuffed her face with more food like she hadn’t eaten in a week.

Rexis internally groaned watching Agni eat without using any utensils, not even using the serving forks and spoons to put the food on his plate first. At least the two orphans used theirs, even if they clearly didn’t know which fork to use at which time. Abigail took note of the prince’s discomfort, speaking quietly to him. “We’ve been trying to teach him, but old habits die hard, don’t they?”

“Indeed.” Rexis shook his head. Then an idea struck him, and he spoke up. “Agni.”

“Hmm?” The dragon looked over with a raised eyebrow, stopping right before he picked up another egg with a claw.

“_Please,_ at least use a fork.” Rexis insisted.

All eyes were on the dragon as he looked down at the bowl of eggs, the two forks to the right of his plate, and then back to the eggs. He shrugged and picked up the larger of the two forks, proceeding to stab two eggs with it and put both in his mouth. Agni then looked to Rexis questioningly.

Rexis gave him a simple smile and a nod before continuing to eat. Out of the corner of his eye he noted the dragon fumbled with the fork a little bit here and there, clearly not used to using utensils at all. After a few minutes, he turned to the paladin. “Abby, we’re gonna have to teach him before the quarterly meeting…”

The paladin paused and watched as the man in question dropped his fork again. She bit her lower lip, clearly trying to stifle a chuckle. “That’s going to be quite the feat to accomplish in a month.”

“We can teach those two as well at the same time.” Rexis nodded to the two orphans who were also trying to stifle their laughs, albeit not very successfully, before Aeryn attempted to show Agni how to properly hold the fork. “You know, for moral support that he’s not the only one. Besides, I have the feeling they’ll become regulars here.”

Abigail nodded. “Knowing Ammy, that very well may be the case.” She then looked to the mage across the table. “Lilly, mind helping us in this endeavor?”

Lilliana looked up at the paladin, looked over to the three in question who were now on the verge of a food fight, then to Rexis. 

“You _are_ the best teacher here,” Rexis gave the woman in violet a warm smile.

Lilliana sighed and stood up, taking her book with her, and she quietly stepped over to stand behind Agni before she slammed her book shut with one hand. “Alright, you three. Knock it off.” Agni jumped slightly at the sudden noise and scolding tone while the two girls across the table stared up at the mage in surprise. 

“We were just having a little fun,” Evo pouted. 

“Fun is fine and dandy anywhere _but_ at the table. If you want any hope to visit the main castle one day, you need to learn how and when it’s time to act properly as to not embarrass the prince.”

Rexis pinched the bridge of his nose, mumbling aloud to himself. “Did she have to-? Nevermind.” 

Abigail gave Rexis an apologetic smile. “I’m certain she knew I meant later… But now is as good a time as any?”

“I suppose.” Rexis sighed, finishing his meal as he watched the mage try to teach the purpose of the different utensils. He noted that out of the three Aeryn seemed to pick up on the information fastest, Evo acted indifferent for the most part, and Agni… was trying his best. Seeing the frustration beginning to show among the ‘students’, Rexis interrupted them as he stood. “Lilly, I think that’s enough for today. Let them finish eating for now and you can pick up the lessons again tomorrow. I don’t know what Aeryn and Evo have planned for the day, but I know Agni has some shepherds to assist and it would not do for him to be late.”

Lilliana pursed her lips. “Very well.”

The three gave Rexis varying thankful looks as the mage went back to her seat. He smiled and nodded to them as he walked by. “Enjoy the rest of your breakfast.” He then looked to the others. “I’ll be in my office if anyone needs me.” Those at the table gave various responses of confirmation before he left the dining hall.

“Thank you, Blackbird,” Rexis smiled up to the Elder after the corvid druid gave him a summary of the past week’s events in preparation for the Guild Meeting that afternoon. 

“Ah, that’s not all.” Blackbird said before placing the medium-sized bag he brought with him on the desk. 

Rexis looked at the bad, perplexed, as he sat up straighter to peek into the bag. “What is all this?” 

“Letters of appreciation from the citizens of Lucir,” Blackbird said with a light chuckle. “As expected, you’ve made quite the impression on the long-time residents.”

“I see…” Rexis picked out one of the letters and unfolded it. “Looks like I have a lot of reading to do.”

Blackbird tilted his head. “You intend to read every single one?”

“But of course.” Rexis said as he put the first letter aside and pulled out another. “It’s a good way to get a feel for the people who live here. I don’t expect each letter to simply be praise. People tend to slip in other comments and complaints whether they intended to or not. So, if I find anything that needs addressing, I’ll be able to take care of it sooner rather than later.”

The Elder chuckled. “Very well. Is there anything else you require of me at the moment?”

Rexis shook his head. “Not at this time. You said the Guild Meeting is usually shortly after lunch?”

“That is correct.” Blackbird nodded. 

“Alright, I’ll see you then. Take care in the meantime.” Rexis tore his gaze from the letter in his hand to give Blackbird a warm smile. 

Blackbird smiled and nodded in return. “I’ll leave you to read at your leisure. Until then.” The Elder left Rexis alone in the office, chuckling softly as he closed the door behind him. 

The prince proceeded to read over most of the letters in silence, the sounds of the birds outside his only company. He was about two-thirds of the way through the bag of letters when someone came in without knocking. He put the letter in his hand down and was about to tell the unannounced visitor off before he watched Agni stop half way through the door, close the door, and knock. Rexis blinked and then stifled a chuckle. “Come in, come in.”

“Ahaha, sorry for not knocking first.” Agni gave Rexis a sheepish smile. 

Rexis waved his hand dismissively as he looked back down at the letter. “It’s fine. You’re welcome here anytime. I just ask that you knock when it comes to my private chambers is all.”

Agni came over and looked down at the bag on Rexis’ desk. He then looked to the neat stacks of letters on either side of the prince. One stack was quite tall to the prince’s right, and then there were two shorter stacks on his left, one pile being significantly shorter than the other. “What are you reading? Fan mail?”

Rexis snorted at the concept of him,_ the Ice Prince_, having fan mail. “I guess you could say that. These are all letters Blackbird had gathered over the past week from the citizens of Lucir. Most are simply letters of appreciation for handling the situation with you, others do actually pass on thanks for the assistance that you’ve been providing, not just with the shepherds.” He picked up the taller stack on the left and handed them to the dragon. “And a few,” he gestured to the smallest stack of paper. “Bring up some concerns and issues that need to be addressed at some point before Winter arrives, if not sooner.”

“Huh.” Agni sat down on the chair closest to the desk on the left, slowly reading through the letters.

After a moment of relative silence, Rexis looked up over the letter in his hand and stared at the darker man. It was then that he realized this was the first chance he really had to look over and analyze the dragon’s simplified shape-shifted form without him taking note in any awkward capacity. While unrefined and very showy with his muscular build, he was handsome for sure. His overall body language and how he carried himself exuded his rough but friendly charm, especially as he lounged in the chair haphazardly. “Hey, Agni.”

“Hmm?” Agni looked up to Rexis questioningly, but then gave a wide smile upon noting that Rexis met him in the eyes.

“I’ve been meaning to ask this, but don’t you get cold wearing only shorts?” Rexis asked simply. 

Agni looked down at himself then back up to Rexis. His smile turned into an amused smirk, mischief dancing in his eyes. “Rex, I’m a _Crimson_. I’m always hot.”

“I know you are, but you-“ Rexis started but then stopped, frowning a touch. He realized something was off about this conversation as Agni's smirk only widened.

“So, you admit that I’m hot?” Agni leaned forward towards the prince in a pose that naturally flexed his arms.

"Wh-" Rexis blinked and looked at Agni in confusion before it dawned on him what the Crimson was doing. The prince let out a heavy sigh and immediately put his head in his hands, shaking his head in disbelief. “You are _insufferable_.”

Agni started laughing, gripping his sides as he keeled over in his seat.

“_And_ you need some _chill._” Rexis smirked behind his hands and cast a silent spell to freeze the air around the dragon. 

“That’s cold!!” Agni yelped and immediately manipulated the mana to warm the air up, causing a slight burst of an air explosion from the contrasting temperatures. 

Rexis looked up and stared at the scene before him while Agni gave him a sheepish smile. The two silently watched all the papers that had been neatly piled on the prince’s desk fluttering down around them, the letters still in the bag unaffected. After all the papers settled onto the desk and floor, Rexis looked back to Agni, amusement shining in his eyes. The two then burst out laughing. 

When Rexis finally caught his breath, he sighed. “Now I have to sort through them all again.”

“Well at least you don’t have to sort out these?” Agni held up the letters he had in his hand still. 

“True, that’s at least something…” Rexis got up and began picking the papers up from all over the place. Agni joined him in the endeavor and between the two they picked up the mess relatively quickly. “The other advantage is eidetic memory.” 

Agni tilted his head as he handed the letters he picked up to the prince. 

“I just need to read the first line and I’ll easily recall if it was one that brought up a problem or not.” Rexis explained simply as he started sorting through the letters. 

“Huh. That’s pretty neat.” Agni sat back down and continued read through the letters he was handed. By the time he finished reading through them, Rexis had finished sorting the ones he had read before.

“So, why are you here and not with the shepherds?” Rexis asked finally.

“Oh, I was only helping them out for about a week. Scaring off the wolves the night before put them in a really good mood, so they let me off a day early.” Agni explained as he handed the letters about himself back to the prince.

“I see. So, now you’re here.” Rexis commented as he picked up a new letter from the bag. 

“Yep, now I’m here.” Agni sat back in the chair and stared out the window opposite from him. 

Silence settled in between them, the sounds of birds and chatter from the city the only sounds filling the room, with the occasional rustle of paper as Rexis read. He didn’t even look up at the dragon between letters, knowing full well by now that if Agni wanted to do something, he’d just do it. 

Agni waited a bit before shifting in his seat to stare at the prince, smiling to himself as the elf was so engrossed in reading that he didn’t notice. 

As Rexis began reading one of the last letters, he started chuckling.

“What is it?” Agni asked. 

“I was confused at first because it’s Blackbird’s handwriting, but it’s a note from Aeryn welcoming us to the city and thanking me for her new friend.” There was more to the letter, but he didn’t feel right saying it aloud as it felt like a personal secret for the young girl. “Hmm… Can you go find Ammy for me and bring her here?”

“Sure!” Agni enthusiastically jumped up and headed over to the window. He put his hands on the windowsill and leaned out, looking around a moment. 

“She’s probably-“ Rexis started. 

“Found her!” Without hesitating, the dragon jumped out the window.

“Agni!!” Rexis jumped up and rushed over to the window. Looking out, he saw the dragon gliding down towards the orphanage. Rexis ran a hand over his face. “Right, he technically has wings at will…” 

The prince went and sat back down and tried to keep reading the letters, but the perplexed feeling remained. How was he ever going to get used to having such an over-the-top dragon around? Shaking his head, he cleared his mind before continuing to read. He only managed to get through two more letters when he heard a cheerful holler from the familiar wolf anima. No sooner than he put the letter down, he saw a happy Ammy being carefully carried through the window by the even happier Agni.

“Can’t you use the door like a normal person!?” Rexis asked, flabbergasted.

“This is faster.” Agni replied innocently, but his eyes held mischief. 

“And more fun!!” Ammy cheered as she hopped over to stand in front of the prince’s desk. “What did you need, Rex?”

Rexis shook his head before focusing on the Knight. “I want you to go extend an invitation to Aeryn and Evo to attend our weekly group training this afternoon.”

Agni hopped down from where he was crouching in the window. “Training?”

“We have a weekly check in with Rexis on our fighting and magick skills. We’re constantly working to improve so each week we pick a goal and work towards it! Sometimes we pair off if our strengths and weaknesses counter or complement each other.” Ammy explained, tail wagging. “While we could just train on our own each day, the check in is so we don’t slack off, like a certain archer-bard we know would at the first chance he gets. But don’t tell him I said that.” Ammy put a finger up to her lips. 

“He knows we know.” Rexis said with a sigh. “Adjusting his perspective to look at it more like a performance seems to have helped recently. As for you…” The elf looked to Agni. “I’d like to assess your fighting finesse in your shape-shifted form. Raw magick power and physical strength are good, but if you don’t utilize it well in a tight space where you can’t use your full form, then you can still be bested by a ‘Small One’.”

Agni gave a confident smile. “I’d be happy to show you what I can do!”

Rexis smiled amusedly. “Very well. We’ll hold the training in the back courtyard after the Guild Meeting. Go let the others know.”

“Will do, Rex! Come on Agni!” Ammy turned to the dragon with a wide smile. “I think I know where we can find everyone.”

“See you then, Rex!” Agni picked up the wolf anima effortlessly and the two hopped back out of the window. 

Rexis immediately got up and hollered out the window. “WILL YOU PLEASE USE THE DOOR NEXT TIME?!”

“I’LL CONSIDER IT!” Came the laughing reply from the dragon.

“By the gods…” Rexis groaned. He then went and flopped back down in his chair, rubbing his temples. “This is my life now…” He started reading again, commenting aloud to himself. “But I suppose I can’t complain too much. He does keep things lively around here in a rather positive manner.” He paused and picked up one of the “problem” letters, glancing it over again. “The worst complaint I’ve seen is that he’s a bit loud sometimes, but other than that…” He looked to the other letter. “Everyone seems to love that boisterous dragon. Who am I to speak against him otherwise?”

Rexis finished reading the letters before filing them away, keeping the ones with complaints or requests on his desk to deal with later. 

The weekly Guild Meeting went smoothly, the various Guild Heads giving their reports and any concerns. The Blacksmiths were running a tad behind schedule due to one of the smiths falling ill, but Winstor promised that they'd catch back up in the coming weeks. Marty then reassured Winstor that he'd have a reprieve this week, as there would be blasting deeper in the mine. So, there would be no new materials for the Blacksmith to worry about processing until that was done. Rexis inquired further about the blasting process, the story of his uncle coming up in the back of his mind. Marty took the time to explain, reassuring the prince that all safety precautions would be followed, and if something did happen all the miners knew the alternate routes out of the mines.

At the conclusion of the meeting, he thanked Asher for taking such detailed notes and requested of Blackbird if his assistant could continue being a scribe for those and other meetings that may occur in the future. After sorting out appropriate compensation for the young man’s time and effort, Asher was given the general schedule of meetings Rexis had planned both weekly and monthly. Rexis made a point to clarify that should something unexpected come up, Asher would be requested for the impromptu meeting but it was alright for the wizard to deny attendance for any reason. 

The prince then extended an invitation to attend the weekly training check-in if Asher or Blackbird wanted. The two accepted the invitation and the three headed down to the back courtyard together.


	8. Judgements

By the time Rexis, Asher, and Blackbird arrived at the back courtyard of the castle, the Knights, Agni, Evo, and Aeryn were all already there along with Etha and a few of her elite guardsmen. Archery targets were lined up against the outer keep wall while training dummies were set up on the opposite side of the large dirt clearing. The prince could tell by the way the grass was patchy at the edges that this was where Etha and her troops trained regularly. 

As Rexis approached, all stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to him, some paying respects with slight bows. The prince stopped at the edge of the clearing where a few benches, chairs, and tables were set up for bystanders, like Evo, Aeryn, Blackbird, and Asher. He then cleared his throat before speaking up loud enough for all to hear without yelling. “Alright! Some of you know the drill, but for those who are new to how my weekly check-ins go here’s the rundown. We start with warm-ups for about ten minutes and if you have a normal routine for this, do so. Otherwise, look at what others are doing and mimic them as appropriate for your weapon type.’ He looked at Agni in particular for the next part. “Get your muscles moving but do _not _go all out during this time as you will need your strength and endurance for your individual assessments.” 

Rexis then looked back over the others. “Once that’s done, we’ll begin the individual assessments. Depending on your weapon and skill level, some of you will be paired off against each other while others will simply give performances. Once we’re done with all the assessments, we’ll break for dinner. I’ll meet with each of you either later today or tomorrow morning and give you my review. It is then up to you to pick what you want to work on to improve this week and we’ll revisit it next week to see what your status is. Now, I do not expect perfection within one week. The whole point of the weekly check in is simply to monitor these improvements and to determine a new goal once the current one is met. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” Most of the crowd said in relative unison. 

“Very well, start your warm-ups!” Rexis commanded and the group split off to do as told. He then unhooked his cloak and draped it over one of the empty chairs opposite the two orphans. 

“Y-you’re participating, sir?” Asher looked to the prince worriedly.

Rexis gave the wizard a simple smile. “Of course. I do have to keep up with my own training and Abigail is the one who provides my status to my father.”

“Oooooh, so we’ll get to see you fight, too?” Aeryn was brimming with excitement. 

Rexis smiled to the young girl. “You’ll get to see everyone show off what they can do. Now, for you two,” he looked to Aeryn and Evo each before continuing. “I want you to consider if this is really what you want to do. As you watch the assessments, take note of what weapon types and styles seem interesting.”

“Wait, hold up.” Evo interrupted. “You’re saying we could train to become Knights?”

Aeryn blinked, processing the realization that Evo pointed out. When it clicked, she jumped up from her seat. “Really!?”

Rexis chuckled. “I admire your enthusiasm, but it won’t be quick or easy. However, if you’re willing to commit the time and effort, the possibility is there. So, if you still want to walk this path after seeing what it takes, I’ll do my own assessment with you to see where you’re starting at.”

“Okay!!” Aeryn hopped lightly before sitting back down. 

“Oh, wow, congrats on being offered the chance you two!” Asher smiled to the two girls. 

“Nothing says you can’t try out yourself,” Rexis smiled to the young man. 

“Huh? But I know I don’t have any fighting capabilities. I-I doubt I could even pick up a sword…” Asher sunk in his chair slightly. 

“Not all Knights wield swords. See the lady in violet?” Rexis pointed to Lilliana, who was stretching her arms and hands, spell book hanging around her hip. “She’s a mage and she is one of my personal Knights. She’s never held a sword either, but I trust her with my life every day.”

“O-oh.” Asher then opened his book and flipped to an empty page towards the back, beginning to scribble something down. 

Rexis then took his time to stretch, going through his ten-minute routine while keeping an eye on the others, pre-assessing those he hadn’t worked with before. When he was done, he made a loud whistle to get everyone’s attention.

“It's time to begin! We’ll start with long range demonstrations first, that means Archers and distance magick wielders. Then we’ll move on to medium range, our polearm and lance wielders. Then close range, swords, axes, hand to hand, and touch-range magicks. Anyone who wields more than one weapon type will participate with both. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” 

Rexis nodded. “Good, good.” He looked to Lilliana. “Lilly, care to get us started?”

Lilliana nodded. “I would be happy to.” She then waltzed over to the archery targets and began her offensive magick demonstration, shredding one of the archery targets with precise blades of wind before casting a controlled line of electricity from her fingertips to a second target, leaving a scorch mark in the center. She finished off with turning back to the now-empty space of the first target and creating a pillar of each of the five circular elements to various heights, though the column of earth seemed to crumble slightly as soon as it was formed. She then turned and bowed to Rexis, amusement in her eyes at the shocked expressions of those who had never seen her demonstrations before. 

Rexis smiled to the mage. “A beautiful display as always, Lilly.” He then looked to the archer-bard. “Sirius, you’re next.”

Sirius straightened and walked over to stand near Lilliana. He hummed a light tune as he loosed one arrow to the center of the scorched target then another to split it. With the next arrow he covered the arrow head in a thin layer of water magick, creating a splash on impact. The final arrow wasn’t a physical arrow, but one made of water magick. While it was clear that the water arrow wasn’t the most stable thing to let loose from a bow, it still hit the target on the edge, holding its shape for a few seconds longer before falling down to the ground with a splash. The dwarven man cheered for himself. “Yes! I hit it this time!”

Rexis clapped lightly, looking impressed. “Very good!” Looking to the Captain of the Northern Guard, he smiled. “Etha, I’ll let you determine who goes when among your squad.” 

The half-orc nodded. “Very well, my prince.”

The elite guard went through their displays and Rexis purposefully had them start the mid-range displays first, Etha pairing them off as she deemed fit. At that point, the only ones left for mid-range were Ammy and Abigail. 

“Abigail, Ammy. You know the drill,” Rexis took a few steps back. He looked to some of the northern guard loitering around the clearing. “I suggest you all get behind me. These two tend to move around a lot.” They quickly did as told as the two Knights took their positions in the center of the clearing. “Alright, begin!” 

At first, neither woman moved, but their expressions changed in silent conversation. Once they both nodded, Ammy charged at Abigail, stabbing her polearm into the ground at the last minute and leaping up above the paladin. Abigail brought her lance up and defended herself from the clawed stomp that Ammy was going for before pushing up and knocking the wolf anima off balance. Ammy hopped off the lance with what control she had and shapeshifted in midair, landing on her paws and dashing around the follow up strike of Abigail’s lance before shapeshifting back and moving to strike Abigail in the back with her polearm. Abigail swung her lance around as she glanced behind her, knocking Ammy’s weapon away. The two seemed to dance around each other like this for a few minutes, moving all over the clearing as Rexis warned, until Abigail managed to pin a panting wolf-form Ammy lightly to the ground with the point of her lance at the wolf’s throat. Ammy barked once and Abigail moved her lance away as the girl shapeshifted back, still panting. The paladin offered the wolf anima a hand up and then supported her as the two walked over to the benches with Ammy limping slightly. 

“You’re getting quicker at dodging,” Abigail praised. 

“Except I sprained my foot on that last jump… again.” Ammy whined, ears lowered.

“We’ll keep working on strengthening your joints. You lasted longer this time, too!” Sirius helped ease the wolf anima down onto a bench before kneeling down and taking a look at her left ankle. He put his hands lightly to Ammy’s ankle and she hissed. “Easy, Am-am.” Ammy seemed to visibly relax at the other nickname as Sirius slowly surrounded her ankle with glowing water. The dwarf looked up to the prince. “Rexis?”

“Of course.” Rexis pulled his gloves off as he knelt down and put his hands over the dwarf’s, carefully encasing the water in ice. With how often Ammy sprained her ankles, it was an unfortunate routine for them.

“It's not as bad as last time, so it’ll be better in a few minutes, don’t worry,” Sirius smiled to the druid Knight.

“Thank you…” Ammy wagged her tail slightly as the two men stood back up. 

Aeryn came over and sat next to Ammy. “You were so fast!” 

Ammy smiled to the young girl. “Yep! But I’m trying to get even faster!” 

“How fast do you think you could go?” The orange-haired girl asked with excitement.

“Like… ZYOOM!” Ammy pointed from one side of the clearing to the other in a quick motion. 

“Oooh~” Aeryn looked to Ammy with awe. 

Rexis turned to the paladin. “Hmm… Mind if we change up my assessment this week?” 

“How so?” Abigail tilted her head as she was fixing her hair. 

“Well you just went, Ammy has to recover before her sword assessment with Adam. And then you also have your monthly Light-Dark magick face off with Adam. So, I want you to watch and see how I fare against Agni.”

“_What?_” The paladin and dragon said in unison.

"I know how the five of you operate, which is why simply watching is good enough for me to tell, and you’ve been doing _my_ assessments for decades. I think changing it once in a while will provide a different perspective on my capabilities. Maybe you’ll see something you wouldn’t normally see in the midst of combat?” Rexis smiled to the paladin.

Abigail sighed. “I can’t argue with that logic. Very well, we’ll try something new.” 

Rexis turned to Agni. "Like I mentioned earlier, no full form and also no wings. There may come a time where you can't rely on those if you're indoors. So I want to see what you can do given those limitations to start with. Just make sure to pull your blows if you do manage to pin me down. But don't go lightly on me just because I'm a Small One." The prince smiled to him before walking out to the middle of the clearing.

Agni frowned slightly and followed. "Alright." 

"So! I'll be using my sword and magick for this. I expect you to use what you have at your disposal within the limitations set. We'll go until one is either pinned down or too exhausted to continue. Light injuries can and will happen, but that is why we have Abigail here. Understood?" Rexis explained simply as he turned to the dragon.

Agni's entire body language seemed hesitant. "Yeah, sure."

Rexis drew his royal sword and took a normal stance, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Don't let my pretty face fool you, Agni. I'm not as fragile as I look." 

"Ready!" Abigail called out.

Agni's forearms and lower legs shifted in a heatwave; skin replaced by thick scales as his claws extended to full length. His tail with full spines also came into view. He took his own combat stance, clearly trying to get into the mindset for training in a way he had never done before.

"Begin!" The paladin announced.

Seeing Agni hesitate as expected, Rexis put a hand out and covered the area in ice, entrapping the Agni's legs. He immediately dashed forward, skating along the icy ground. As he brought up his sword, Agni finally reacted, guarding himself with his forearms and the sword clashed against the metal-like scales. 

"Y-you were serious?!" Agni's eyes went wide as he stared down at the prince.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Rexis countered as he pushed against Agni's forearms with his sword to slide back before calling up a swirling spiral of ice crystals, freezing the air around Agni and buffeting the Crimson with the ice. Rexis hollered above the roar of the swirling wind. "Treat this as if you were fighting for real! Show me what you can do, Crimson!! Surely those muscles aren't just for show, or are they?" The prince taunted with a smirk.

Agni growled and called up flames to engulf the ice, creating a small explosion of air away from him. As the dust settled back down, his skin was now covered in a thin layer of scales, heat shimmering around him. He lashed his tail as he gave a confident smile. "No crying when you lose then, Rex!"

"I told you not to-!!" Rexis cut off as the dragon was suddenly in front of him, the shimmering after image he left behind fading as he brought his claws in a cross slash at the prince's chest. Rexis immediately brought his sword up to defend himself, letting the force make him slide back further on the ice. He noted that the ice around Agni's feet had quickly melted, turning the ground soft from the resulting water.

Rexis chuckled and surrounded himself and Agni with several tall walls of mirror-like ice. 

Abigail frowned. "I hate when he does that."

"Seems like a good tactic to me." Etha commented.

"It is, but it just makes it harder to assess what he's actually doing in there." The paladin put her hands to her hips.

Agni moved to melt the walls around himself with blasts of fire, but they sprung back up immediately due to the sustained spell. "Hey! That's cheating!" The dragon yelled as he charged through the ice instead, the wall reforming behind him.

Rexis' laugh echoed through the area. "As the saying goes, all's fair in love and war! This is also a chance for you to see what I and other Small Ones are capable of! So use your wits, Dragon! Not everything can be won with brute force!" 

Agni smiled as he put his hands to the ground and began heating up the earth below the ice, countering the spell at the source and causing the walls to melt for good. "I know that!" 

"Do you now?" Rexis stood a bit behind the dragon as he kicked over a half-melted wall on top of the Crimson. "Just as Fire counters Ice, Water counters Fire!"

Agni yelped as the melting ice wall broke over him, drenching him in icy water. He quickly surrounded himself in flames to try and dry himself off. When the flames dissipated, Agni was nowhere to be seen. 

Rexis got into a defensive stance, keeping his eyes and ears attentive to the slightest thing. He took in a sharp breath when the ground suddenly shifted and seemed to collapse from under him like muddy quicksand. He tried to solidify the muddy ground with ice, but that's when he realized strong hands were wrapped around his ankles. In response, he created a thick layer of ice around his body and extended spikes from it. The dragon let go but by then Rexis was hip-deep in the ground as it solidified around him. The prince frowned as he tried to expand the ice around him further, but the earth seemed to actively resist him. 

"Very well… Noklath sura fross..." Rexis concentrated, creating a second thin layer of ice against himself to slip out from the outer layer that was keeping the earth at bay. It was a tight squeeze, but he managed to pull himself out from the earthy tomb and immediately stepped away from the pit. No sooner had he done so, the mana-controlled earth crushed the ice and empty space where he had been. 

Seconds later the ground nearby visibly turned to sand and Agni poked his head out, deep concern and fear on his face. "REX?!" 

"I'm fine, I'm fine." Rexis pointed his sword to the dragon's face. "You almost had me though." The prince smiled proudly to the dragon, who looked up at him in relief.

Agni then realized his position and frowned. “I want another round, no magick this time.” 

“Alright.” Rexis offered Agni a hand and the dragon took it, bringing himself up out of the mana-manipulated ground. “So close combat only. No magick tricks, just weapon finesse and strength. Abigail?” Rexis looked to the paladin. 

The Head Knight nodded. “Very well. Ready?” The two men took their beginning stances, only a few feet apart. “Begin!”

Agni moved first, closing the gap between them quickly as he brought his fists forward for a one-two punch. Rexis took a step back before jumping to the right, bringing his sword up at the same time. Agni brought his tail up as he followed the momentum of his left punch in a spin around, catching the sword against his spines. The prince pushed away with his sword to avoid contact with the dragon’s axe spines. Rexis then pressed the attack with several swipes of his sword as Agni turned to face him, bringing up his scaled forearms to protect himself. 

The two danced all around the clearing in a back and forth of offense and defense. The crowd watching was making light commentary at first before some started taking bets, amazed that the prince was managing to keep up with the dragon. After a good while, however, it became clear that Agni had far more endurance than Rexis as the prince’s movements started getting sluggish and his reactions were slowing down. 

The showdown was finally over when Agni parried Rexis’ sword with one arm and hit the prince solidly in the chest with a punch with the other. Rexis was knocked down and slid a good distance away from the force of the hit, his sword clanging as it hit the ground out of reach. The prince laid still a moment, stunned, the breath knocked out of him. 

Seeing no immediate movement, Agni sprinted over to Rexis’ side, dropping to his knees to check on him. “I’m sorry! I remembered to pull my blows as asked but I forgot just how_ light_ you are. I should have held back more.”

“Th…that was… restrained?” Rexis wheezed, looking at Agni in awe and disbelief as Abigail and the other Knights rushed over. 

“No, no, don’t move him. Let me check for any cracked ribs.” Abigail said noticing Agni moving to lift Rexis up off the ground. Agni held his hands up as the paladin lightly placed her hands on the prince’s chest, light emanating from her hands as she closed her eyes. After a tense moment of silence, she let out a sigh of relief. “Nothing’s broken, but you’ll likely have a solid bruise there for a while if we don’t do anything. We can head off some of the worst of it, but your muscles will likely ache for a day or two from the shock of the impact.”

Rexis shook his head feeling a bit lightheaded. “Leave it…”

Agni looked at Rexis confused. “If she can heal it why would you-?“

“I’m fine.” Rexis gave a forced smile to Agni.

“But-“ Agni’s visible worry deepened.

“Please drop it.” Rexis said firmly as he attempted to stand. Agni frowned but said no more as he and the paladin helped Rexis stand and then the three slowly made their way over to the concerned crowd. Rexis stifled a grunt as he sat down in the chair he had draped his cloak over earlier. He frowned at everyone just standing there looking at him. “Daylight is precious. Let’s continue with the assessments.” 

The rest of the assessments went relatively smoothly and Rexis planned a time to meet with Etha to pass on his critiques the next day. As she and her elite guard left to prepare for the night patrols, Rexis turned to the two orphans. “So, what do you think?”

“Everyone was so cool!!” Aeryn practically shouted as she jumped up from her seat. “I definitely want to wield a sword!” She pretended to wield a sword, mimicking one of the stances she had seen that afternoon. 

“I want to dual wield swords,” Evo said with a confident nod as she stood by Aeryn, excitement in her eyes. "The moves Ammy pulled with them were awesome!"

Rexis chuckled. “Well, Ammy, I think you have your work cut out for you. If you’re willing to take on these two under you?” He looked to the wolf anima with a raised eyebrow.

Ammy immediately wagged her tail, ears perking up more as she nodded vigorously. “Yes! I would be happy to!”

“My next question for you two,” Rexis looked back to the two young girls. “What are your element attunements?”

“I think Blackbird said mine was Earth…” Aeryn thought as she looked to Blackbird, who nodded. 

“Yay Earth buddy!” Ammy squealed and grasped Aeryn’s hands in hers, hopping up and down. Aeryn laughed with her. 

“And mine was…. Fire?” Evo was visibly thinking. 

Rexis looked to Agni and brought a hand up to his chin in thought. 

“What is it?” Agni tilted his head.

Rexis looked to Evo then back to Agni. “It’s always better to learn under someone with your same element… but none of my Knights are attuned to Fire... How well can a dragon teach what is innate to them?” Rexis wondered out loud.

“I had to be taught, too! Like you keep saying, raw power isn’t everything.” Agni countered, putting his fists on his hips.

Blackbird spoke up with a chuckle. “The old legends say that dragons taught us Small Ones how to utilize mana properly and helped us form the schools of magick we use today. Why not give Agni a chance to teach Evo? I’m sure it will be a learning experience for both of them.”

Aeryn gasped and looked between Agni and Evo. “Do it! Do it! Do it!” She cheered, excited for Evo. Ammy joined the orange-haired girl in the chant. 

Agni began laughing. “Sure! I’ll teach Evo everything I know about Fire mana and magick!” 

Aeryn and Ammy cheered while Evo smiled widely to the dragon. “I look forward to it!”

The group then headed their separate ways to clean up and cool down. Dinner was called within the hour and the Knights insisted that Rexis give their results then. When asked why, they explained that they wanted to give their two new recruits things to keep in mind as they trained with Ammy and to give Agni a general idea of what is expected of him to teach Evo. The prince couldn't argue against the reasoning, so he went through the Knights' results throughout dinner, also asking Abigail to give his own results. Additionally, Rexis informed the two young girls that he’d do a base assessment with them when he recovered from his injury, but they could go ahead and start training with the wolf anima. 

Once dinner was over, Rexis retired to his room for the evening. The first thing he did as he got ready for bed was to inspect the bruise on his chest in the mirror. He sighed. He wasn’t one to wear armor casually like some of his Knights, preferring less weight for easier movement, but he definitely paid for it this time. There was a visibly deep bruise that radiated out from where the impact was on the center of his chest. He took in a sharp breath as he touched it in the center and around the edges, trying to get a feel for how bad it really was. 

“Is it that bad?” Agni’s voice came from the window by the fireplace.

“Door.” Rexis firmly replied. He then realized that he hadn’t heard claws on stone to alert him to Agni’s presence. Curiosity getting the better of him, he turned to see the dragon with his head atop crossed arms on the windowsill, the rest of his body hanging outside as he held himself up with the gentle beating of his wings. 

Agni's gaze zeroed in on the bruise on the prince’s bare chest, ears drooping a bit. “I’m really sorry for that.”

Rexis sighed slightly. “Injuries are expected during training.” He clenched his jaw slightly, the pain in his chest from irritating the bruise made the damaged muscles tighten in response. He almost felt like he was being crushed.

“I know but…” Agni frowned, pausing a moment. “Why do you insist on suffering through natural recovery?”

The prince walked over towards the window and turned the nearest chair to face the dragon before sitting down. “I need to get used to pain…” Rexis grunted as his body resisted him, trying to find a comfortable position to make his breathing easier. “I’ll be fine after a few days… we elves heal quickly...”

A look of realization crossed the dragon’s face. “Is that why you passed out last week after cutting your hand?” 

Rexis frowned and looked down at his left hand, which had completely healed between Abigail’s magick and his own natural healing abilities. He said nothing as he looked away from Agni entirely, choosing to turn his gaze at the flames within the fireplace as he propped his head on one hand while leaning against the armrest.

Agni decided against his impulse comment about Rexis clearly having lived a good life if he didn’t have to experience pain much, knowing it would be taken the wrong way. So, he quickly came up with something else, trying to lighten the mood. “Well, that explains why you’re so good at dodging! Color this dragon impressed that you actually kept up with me for so long!” He saw Rexis relax his shoulders a touch, but the prince kept his gaze away, as well as any thoughts. Agni opted to watch Rexis’ eyes carefully, mood dropping a bit again as he saw how much pain was reflected in the cerulean depths. 

After a few moments of silence, Rexis quietly sighed. He finally looked to the concerned dragon again, tone becoming gentler. “Are you going to join me, or do you want to hang out the window all night?” 

Agni seemed to perk up at the invitation, pulling himself up but as he was about to hop down from the windowsill he stopped. “Oh right, door.”

Rexis waved his hand dismissively as he stood back up. “Whatever. I’ll let it slide this time.” He then went back over to the vanity, looking over the bruise again. 

Agni smiled and hopped down, wings and tail fading out of existence as he did so. He followed Rexis, peaking over the shorter man’s shoulder and looking at the prince’s reflection. 

Rexis spoke up again with a frown. “At least it’s where I can easily hide it.”

Agni threw a charming smile to the prince via the mirror. “You know, even with such an injury you’re still illegally pretty.” 

Rexis broke eye contact and looked back at himself with a frown of disbelief. He shook his head as he went behind the changing screen to dress in his night clothes. “Why do you keep saying that?” 

“I call it as I see it. What, don’t trust a dragon’s judgement for beauty?” Agni teased.

“I’ve heard plenty about dragons and vanity.” Rexis scoffed as he finished changing. “Don’t you dragons like hoarding pretty objects and treasure, as well?” He asked with a slightly teasing tone as he loosely folded his clothes from that day.

After a noticeable second of hesitation, Agni replied. “Y-yeah.” 

Rexis frowned as he heard the discomfort in Agni’s voice. He peeked around the screen to see the dragon sitting backwards on the chair at his vanity, resting his chin on his crossed arms over the backrest, staring at the fireplace. Rexis took note that Agni’s overall body language was tense as he walked over to him. The dragon’s ear twitched back towards him, indicating to Rexis that he was aware the prince was standing behind him now. With that confirmation, the elf gently put his hands on the man’s shoulders, beginning to slowly massage the tense muscles. Agni didn’t move or say anything, but his ears perked up. 

After a moment, Rexis decided to break the silence, speaking quietly. “You aren’t like the others, are you? You just have what’s with you, no horde to call your own.”

Agni put his head down, covering his eyes with his arms. 

Rexis waited a bit before speaking again. “If it’s any comfort, I don’t think any less of you for not having one.”

“It’s not that.” Agni replied bitterly.

“I’m listening,” the prince prompted gently. 

The dragon took a deep breath, his voice seemed to shake slightly. “I don’t care to have one. What’s the use of having a bunch of stuff or land for the sake of it? What value does it have if you never use any of it? If you could even call it one, I’d rather have a horde of experiences I can fondly remember anytime I want.” His voice dropped to barely a mumble. “But everyone judges a dragon’s status as the bigger the horde and the more territory claimed, the more powerful and successful the dragon.”

Rexis eased the massaging to simply rubbing the man’s slumped shoulders as Agni continued. “Even my parents thought it odd. They didn’t say anything, but their confusion when I refused their gift to start my own horde when I left home was more than enough.” Agni suddenly sat up and threw his hands into the air, accidentally letting off light burst of flame around him, from which Rexis quickly took a step back to get out of range. “The others call me a failure of a dragon, but there’s more to life than being territorial and possessive about junk!” 

No longer feeling the elf’s gentle hands on his shoulders, Agni then realized what he had done and quickly turned around in his seat, worry filling his teary eyes. “I-I’m sorry, I-!!”

Rexis smiled warmly to Agni. “It’s fine, you didn’t burn me.” The elven prince then put his hands back on Agni’s shoulders, gently massaging them a touch again as he looked down into the dragon’s pain-filled eyes. “I think having a horde of experiences is grander than any material object, because that means you’ve lived the life you want, not what is expected of you. And you’re Aniran, the Crimson Benevolent Dragon of the Kingdom of Glace. Also known as Agni, a friend to that arrogant, stand-offish, and vain Ice Prince.”

Agni frowned. “You’re not-“

Rexis shook his head, smiling sadly to Agni. “I’ve heard all the different things that’s been said of me. But my point is, what you think of yourself is more important than what others think. I know it must sound hypocritical coming from me, but it’s a lesson that’s difficult to learn and even more difficult to act on. So, for now, it's just something to keep in mind." The prince then gave the dragon a reassuring smile.

Agni looked down, clearly processing the advice. 

When silence settled back in, Rexis stopped the massage patted the dragon's shoulders. "But if you need a little more reassurance, think about all those letters of appreciation you got. The people here like you for you, regardless of your status among the dragons."

At that, Agni visibly perked up and smiled. "Yeah! You're right!" He then jumped up from his seat and wrapped his arms around the elf, lifting him up in a big hug. "Thanks, Rex!" 

Rexis tensed, but let Agni show his appreciation. "Y-you're welcome." The hug wasn't all that tight, but the bruise on his chest protested otherwise and he squeezed his eyes shut against the pain.

Agni noticed and gently set Rexis down before scratching the back of his own head. "Aha… Sorry, didn't mean to cause you more pain."

The prince took a deep breath. "It's fine. I'm glad you're feeling better." Rexis smiled warmly to him before going and unceremoniously sitting down on his bed before falling flat on his back. He let out a heavy sigh as he closed his eyes, trying to make his muscles relax. 

Agni came over and looked down at Rexis. "Want a massage?"

Rexis frowned and hummed, keeping his eyes closed as he considered the offer.

"C'mon, let me pay you back." The dragon pressed.

"Alright." The prince sat up and turned his back to the other man, reaching up and pulling his long hair forward as he did so. He stayed silent as he felt warm hands on his shoulders, the darker man's thumbs working the muscles far more gently than he anticipated. Again, Rexis found himself comparing Agni's boisterous attitude against these moments of gentleness. As he himself knew well, there was always more to people than their outer attitude, if given the chance and the right situation to show those other sides. The fact that such a powerful being often showed such trust, care and gentleness for those around him made the Prince feel both less lonely and more so. He couldn't show such care so freely. Not again. Not after… 

Rexis shook his head slightly, trying to clear the thoughts and memories before they resurfaced. 

"Oh, was that too much?" Agni asked, worry lacing his rough voice.

"Huh? Oh, you're fine. I'm just thinking too much." Rexis gave Agni a reassuring smile over his shoulder.

"About?" The dragon raised an eyebrow at the prince, studying his eyes.

Rexis noticed and looked away again. "Nothing important." 

Agni continued working out the knots in the prince's back muscles. "... You sure?"

"Please drop it." Rexis kept his tone neutral, but what the prince didn't realize was that he tensed his shoulders again.

Agni felt this and frowned at the back of the elf's head. He tucked the observation away for later, noting that whenever a touchy topic was pressed on, that same phrase was used. It honestly made Agni want to find out more right then and there, but he had also come to learn that the prince revealed information about himself on his own time. Perhaps one day he'd find out what weighed so heavily on the prince's mind and heart, but for now he would give his friend silent support. Relatively.

The dragon then clapped his hands on the elf's shoulders suddenly, causing the smaller man to jolt in surprise. "Relax! You're tensing up your shoulders with all that thinking! You're supposed to wind down before bed, not get yourself all worked up over nothing!"

"O-oh. Ahaha…" Despite facing away from Agni, Rexis smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, you're right. It's nothing, after all." With a deep breath, Rexis forced his shoulders to relax. "Better?"

"I should be asking you that!" Agni laughed. "How's your back feel?" 

"Much better, thank you." Rexis pulled away and turned to give the dragon a warm smile. 

"Great! Time for you to get your beauty sleep!"

"Y-you're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"

"Nope!" 

  
  
  



	9. Disaster in the Mines

The next few days in the City of Lucir were mostly peaceful. The only thing that interrupted the relative peace was when Agni started trying to teach Evo how to work with fire mana and magick and she accidentally set _herself_ on fire. Agni quickly snuffed out the flames and Sirius tended to the burns she sustained, leaving only faint scars as evidence of the event. But despite several of the Knights telling her to take the day off, she was insistent to keep learning, that she would get it right the next time. To everyone’s surprise she did as she declared, doing her draconic teacher proud.

Halfway through the week, Agni found himself lazing on the couch closest to the fireplace in Rexis’ office, playing with the fire mana within the room’s source of heat while the prince and Blackbird were sorting through various reports and papers. To entertain himself, Agni was creating various shapes out of the flames, making them dance and fight each other, mimicking what he had seen during the assessments at the beginning of the week. He had seen Small Ones fight before, but some of the stunts the Knights pulled he wouldn’t have imagined them being able to do. But they did and he wanted to know how.

Part of him wanted to spar a round against each, but Agni’s mind flashed to the second match with Rexis. He recalled the feeling of his fist against the prince’s armor-less chest and how _effortless _it was to knock the elf to the ground, even with pulling his punches. He didn’t think that he had swung that hard. He didn’t anticipate Rexis _not _dodging the punch. He didn’t mean to hurt him. He-

A series of large-sounding explosions in the distance followed by the shrill sound of alarms jolted the dragon out of his spiraling thoughts.

Rexis jumped up from his seat. “What’s going on? Are we under attack? Did the Sigmun-?”

“A mine collapsed.” Blackbird quickly and calmly corrected, moving to the window and peering out towards the mountains. Agni and Rexis followed suit, looking out the other window for a better view as Blackbird pointed to it and moved over to join them. The sunny weather that day allowed the three men to see the large plume of smoke and soot rising from one of the mining entrances in the distance. 

A flare of purple fire shot up into the sky followed by a flare of red near the source of the smoke. Agni looked to Blackbird, noting that the Elder also seemed to have noticed the flare. The corvid druid brought a hand up to the beak of his mask. When he spoke, his voice was filled with dread. “Purple, followed by red… Oh no... We haven’t had a severe entrance collapse since your uncle’s-” Blackbird cut himself off, glancing at Rexis. Agni also looked to the prince, who was visibly tense already. 

Blackbird put a hand on the prince’s shoulder. “Breathe, Rexis. There isn’t anything we can do from here but wait and pray.”

“But I need to-” The prince started to protest as he turned to head to the door. 

The Elder stepped between Rexis and the door. “I know what you’re thinking. But you won’t get there in time if there are any injuries.” Blackbird said firmly. “And don’t foolishly risk yourself. You’re still healing.”

Agni frowned, clenching his fists as he watched Rexis seemed to pale even more. The dragon finally spoke up as he turned to the window. “But I can.” Before Rexis or Blackbird had the chance to protest, he leapt out the window, willing his wings into existence to catch his fall. As soon as he felt the wind against the membranes of his newly manifested wings, he took off. Once he cleared the walls of the castle keep, he shifted into his dragon form, using his full strength to pick up speed and get to the source of the smoke within minutes. 

Agni carefully landed near the group of men gathered by the mine entrance. They were trying to clear the entrance of rock despite the poisonous smoke billowing out from the cracks. Some were hollering towards the rubble, trying to gauge where the men trapped within were. The men didn't stop what they were doing despite the dragon's arrival as time was of the essence. 

Marty, however, paused directing the miners for a moment and turned to address Agni. "Well met, Agni! Come to assist?"

"Of course." Agni nodded and looked to the entrance. He could easily move the rocks, but in tapping into the local mana flow, he noted the earth was unstable quite a way down into the mine. He frowned. "The collapse continues far beyond here. I can try to stabilize the earth and rock to allow people in and out, but there's a large pocket of fumes on fire above the fallen rock. It’s gonna be extremely hot until I can tame that." 

"Any 'elp would be greatly appreciated!" One of the half-dwarfs nearby yelled over as the sound of another explosion within the mine made the men step back and pause their work.

Agni shook his head. Thinking wouldn't do him any good. He just needed to follow his instincts and act. "Stand back!" He half roared and they did so as he stepped forward and dug his claws into the fallen rock. "I'll keep lifting the rock, get in and pull out those trapped as I go!" He silently commanded the mana within the earth to shift to his will as he lifted it up, molding the rock to roughly the size and shape of the mine. The dragon shifted his form to a smaller size to fit within as he continued digging, following the minecart rails as a guide. 

Agni wasn’t far in when he heard the muffled cries of a few miners who were trapped. “Hang on!” He called as he pushed on, pinpointing where the miners were located with his heightened hearing so he could more carefully move the rock from around them. “Stay still! I’ll get you out!” He instructed as he parted the rubble. A blast of smoke and fumes met his nose as the space where the miners were trapped was opened up. While it smelled of sulfur and other toxins, it didn’t affect the Crimson. However, it did affect the miners who were on the floor in front of him. 

“Oh… thank the gods…” A dwarven woman sighed in relief as she took a breath of fresh air. She was trying to tend to an unconscious elven man whose leg had been crushed by the rock. 

“I thought we were done for…” Added a half-orc man who was bracing his own left arm. 

Agni hollered back behind him towards the men waiting for his signal. “I got three here!” 

“Roger!” Marty yelled back before he directed the rescue crew in. 

Agni used his body and wings as a heat shield for the injured miners while they waited for the rescue team to reach them. “Do you know how many more are further down?” 

“I don’t know…” The woman said. “What I do know is that one of the fuses got lit prematurely and a pocket of fumes was hit from the wrong angle. Though it seems we also miscalculated how far up those flammable fumes reached.”

“I think there’s at least five others…” The half-orc added. “If they survived…”

The rescue team reached them about that time and the dwarven team lead frowned. “Don’t be such a downer, Harno. We gotta have faith.” He then looked up to Agni. “We got them; you can keep going!” 

“Right!” Agni then continued his digging and reshaping of the rubble into a sturdy path. He wasn’t used to using earthen mana so much and it was taxing on him the longer he worked, but he kept going. He needed to. His mother would have if she were still here and now he understood what she meant in her stories about maintaining the mana of the mines. The mana flows weren’t bad, per se, but for the precise work of blasting, hitting the wrong spot on a flow would be devastating. And from what Agni could tell, that was likely the case this time. 

About halfway down the collapsed mine Agni suddenly froze in place. He felt something _soft _under his right forepaw_. _He looked down in panic as he realized he had almost stepped on a body sticking out from the rubble he was currently moving. He quickly finished reshaping the mine and then nudged the man slightly with his snout. 

A pained groan met his ears and Agni immediately roared towards the entrance again. “Got another! Badly injured!”   
  
“Understood!” Marty yelled back.   
  
Without waiting for the rescue team, Agni continued digging, wondering if others were also on the edge of consciousness under this part of the collapse. Afterall, he had been working for a good while now in a time-sensitive emergency. Within minutes he found another three pinned down or unconscious within pockets of smoke and fumes. 

“That leaves four more missing.” One of the rescue team members informed Agni. “We did a quick roll call just now so we could let you know.”

“Thanks!” Agni nodded then dove back into the rock. Having seen the state those last four miners were in, he dreaded taking too much time. So, he reached farther into the nearby mana to shift and adjust more rock and earth at a time. He felt the strain on his mana core to be using his secondary element so much after barely using it for so long, but he was confident that he’d be alright. 

If he could just find those last four…

Agni was nearing the end of the collapse when he finally found them. The miners were huddled together in a tiny pocket of air, barely breathing. Two had crushed limbs, the third had severe burns, and the fourth was unconscious entirely.   
  
Angi wasn’t sure if his yelling would reach the entrance over the roaring flames just above the thin layer of rock over his head. So he simply roared as loud as he could. He thought he heard Marty’s voice in response, but he wasn’t sure. And these miners needed help _now._

The Crimson recalled what Abigail had said about not moving someone who was injured, but he knew moving them now was their best chance to live. He quickly shifted into his human form, keeping his wings and his tail, without spines of course. “I know this is gonna hurt, but I’ll get you out. Hang on!” Agni reassured the three semi-conscious miners as he carefully scooped them up. The unconscious dwarf under one arm, the human with burns under the other, and he carefully wrapped his tail around the other two, lifting them up. With a slight beat of his wings in the cramped space, Agni hopped forward, giving himself just enough momentum to hit the ground running with all the extra weight. He willed his wings out of existence to lighten his load slightly and to give himself room to maneuver if needed. 

He just hoped that he’d get them to safety in time.

Agni was two thirds of the way back already when he met the rescue team, who were surprised for a brief moment in seeing Agni carrying the four miners by himself. 

“Keep going, we’ll be right behind you! The medical team is right outside!” The team lead informed the dragon and pressed himself against the wall of the mine, despite the heat. The others followed the lead's example and let Agni run past before the group ran after him. 

Once Agni was out of the mine, he skidded to a halt, using the claws on his feet to help slow himself down. His ears were met with cheers as he looked around for the medical team, but they were already approaching him with a few makeshift gurneys. 

“Carefully set them down here, we’ll take care of the rest.” An older human woman instructed the Crimson. 

Agni nodded and did so. “Are they gonna be alright?” He was worried that he didn’t make it in time. 

“They’re all still alive, yes. But only time will tell if they’ll make it…” One of the other healers commented solemnly as he began tending to the one with severe burns.

“Agni,” Marty addressed the Crimson with a grateful smile. “I can confirm that we’ve got everyone out. Good work. And thank you.”

Agni took a deep breath and let his shoulders relax. He then gave the Head Miner a broad smile. “I’m glad I could help! But that entrance is still dangerous. I don’t recommend using it until I straighten the mana out and finish repairing the tunnel.” 

“Noted. We have other entrances to work with for now. However…” Marty put his hands on his hips and looked at Agni in thought. “Perhaps we could use your help in the mines for a while. Your mother used to help us maintain them. Mining will always be a dangerous profession, but it's reassuring knowing that the rock surrounding us is solid and the mana flows are stable and in good health.”

“I would be more than happy to help with that!” Agni’s smile broadened at the idea of being useful and following his mom’s example. “Though, if it’s a long term job, I should inform the Prince so he’s not wondering where I’m disappearing to each day.” He added with a laugh.

“Oh, of course! And we can discuss with him what your pay would be. I’d like your efforts and time to be compensated appropriately.” Marty nodded. 

“I don’t need to be paid for just helping out.” Agni furrowed his eyebrows. What use did he have for money? He already had an arrangement with the city for providing what he needed in return for him protecting the Small Ones. Wasn’t this part of that? He’d be protecting the miners after all.

Marty shook his head before giving Agni a serious look. “Even dragons can get hurt in those mines. I don’t feel right for you working so hard and not getting paid for it properly in some way.”

“O-ok.” Agni blinked. He wasn’t sure how to keep arguing the issue. The dragon really didn’t care for money, but perhaps he could find some good use for it later. 

Another explosion from the mine entrance caught the Crimson's attention and he sighed while scratching the back of his head. "Let me, uhhh... take care of those fumes that are on fire first."

The Head Miner nodded. "That sounds like a good plan to me. We'll get the injured back to the city in the meantime since we're definitely done blasting for today." Marty then rounded up the miners who were still able bodied and organized the caravan down the mountain. The medical team and the miners who knew healing magic kept the injured stable the entire trip down.

Agni stepped towards the entrance and took a moment to assess how much fire was trapped within the rock based on the fire mana being generated by the flames. He frowned. It was a lot even for Crimson like himself to handle all at once. Even more so with how tired he felt from using his secondary element so much. With that crossing his mind, he made a mental note to train with Ammy later to build up his earthen mana endurance.

Then again, he _was_ a Crimson, fire was his primary.

The Crimson waited for the miners to clear out from the entrance before taking on his full form again at full size. "Glad dad taught me how to swim in lava!" He laughed to himself before he dug into the rock from above the mine. 

It wasn't long until he hit the small cavern of toxic fumes that were aflame, the fresh air he brought with him feeding the flames into a higher intensity. He let the fire wrap around him, his scales absorbing the heat and energy to the point of making them glow. Being a Benevolent he couldn't absorb the mana directly, so he used his body as a conduit to safely redirect the mana into the air outside in a steady stream. The Crimson smiled to himself as he figured it would have been an interesting sight from the city to see a sudden vortex of fire being shot high into the sky.

Agni wasn't sure how long it took to empty out the cavern, but he was glad to see that the sun was still high in the sky when the last of the flames flickered out. His stomach agreed with him as it growled. The Crimson then laughed to himself as he took to the air. "Man that was a workout! Maybe I can grab something to eat at the castle or the tavern!"

As Agni started to descend outside the city walls minutes later, he was met with cheers. The dragon blinked in surprise at the entourage that met him as he landed, the Prince among them. He shifted to his base human form, smiling broadly. "I'm back!" 

"Thank the gods! We were worried!" Rexis stopped a few feet away with a sudden look of confusion. "Did... did you dive into the fire or something? You're radiating heat like a bonfire!"

Agni couldn't help but smile more hearing that the Ice Prince, of all people, was worried about him. "Oh! Well, yeah, of course I did. I had to redirect all that fire mana somehow. I can't just absorb it like a Destructive can, ya know." The dragon shrugged then smirked at the Prince. "What? Am I too hot to handle?"

"Wha-?" Rexis blinked and then facepalmed. He then threw a glare at Agni, but the dragon picked up on a mischievous look in the elf's eyes. "Don't forget I can cool you down real fast." 

Agni threw his hands up in front of him. "I'm good! I'm good!" Ha laughed. "I'll cool off in a bit, don't worry!"

Marty spoke up, chuckling. "Well, when you do, come by The Golden Bucket. Drinks on me. Thanks to your quick work we had no casualties."

"Huh? No really, it's not a big deal. I'm just glad I could help." Agni rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn't used to being treated like a hero. He was far more used to be treated like a Destructive or an outcast...

"Saving eleven lives _is_ a big deal." Rexis countered with a frown. 

Marty nodded. "In all the history of Lucir, we've never had a mine collapse like that _without_ losing lives. We're all deeply grateful for you being here and so willing to help us Small Ones."

Agni blinked. How could he argue with that? "Well, alright then. You're welcome!" He smiled again. 

"Well, let's head on inside then! Everyone's been waiting for the hero of the day to return home to us!" Marty laughed heartily and turned to head towards the tavern.

_Return home… to them?_ The dragon hummed as he followed the welcoming group through the city gates. Agni noted he felt warm and squishy like how he felt with his family. And it wasn't just the excess fire mana he was still dissipating. Maybe he really had found his place in the world? As he thought about it, he could now see himself working in the mines to maintain the mana flows like his mom did, teaching young Evo fire magick and training with the Knights on days off, and then teasing his friend Rexis in his down time each evening. Yeah, he still wanted to explore more of the world still, but having a place to call home was something he wanted even more than that. 

Agni's smile broadened again as he made up his mind. Having good people who clearly cared about him as much as he did them made him feel like he finally belonged, even if they were Small Ones. He didn't need other dragons to accept him, his new family was right here in the snowy mountains of the Kingdom of Glace. 

Rexis noted Agni's mood shifting and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Something on your mind?"

Agni jerked a bit as he was brought out of his thoughts. "Huh? Oh, I'm just thinking." Agni smiled to the Prince. He felt his heart racing with anticipation of making his own big announcement at the tavern. 

The elven prince gave him a curious look. "About?"

"I'll let you find out with everyone else here. It's time to celebrate, yeah?" Agni laughed as the group arrived at The Golden Bucket.

"Indeed! The Healer's Guild informed me that everyone should recover for the most part. A few will have to retire from the mines, but the important part is that no lives were lost today!" Marty laughed again as Kamaria came over to welcome the party. He smiled to the waitress. "Kamaria! Get this man whatever drink he desires, it's on me!" The dwarf gestured to Agni.

"Of course! What would the town hero like this afternoon?" Kamaria smiled to Agni. 

Agni blinked and looked to Rexis. "Word gets around fast, huh?"

Rexis chuckled. "Welcome to the Kingdom of Glace. Word _always_ gets around fast."

Agni took the menu from Kamaria. He never had Small One alcohol before. Dragons had their own kinds of brews so he wasn't sure what was good or not. "Uhhh… You wouldn't happen to have any Spitfire… Would you?"

"Unfortunately not, sorry!" The waitress gave the dragon a sheepish smile. "We could see about importing it if you know where we could get some."

"Oh, haha… It's a dragon specialty. I don't know if you _could_ get a hold of it." Agni smiled sheepishly back. "Uh, what would you recommend?" He looked to the others.

"You could try the local specialty, Gemstone Luster. It's a light beer but don't let that fool ya! It's got enough alcohol to make even _me_ tipsy!" Marty laughed heartily.

Agni smiled to Kamaria. "I'll try that then!" 

Kamaria smiled back. "One Gemstone Luster coming right up!"

The waitress took the other's orders after the group sat down at one of the large, long tables. Agni and Rexis sat opposite each other near the center, Marty to Agni's right, Blackbird to Rexis' left, and the Knights, including Evo and Aeryn, filled in around those four. 

As word got around that Agni was at the tavern, various miners and other citizens filled the place, many giving their own thanks to him for what he did. He loved the attention, but he couldn't help but feel a tad overwhelmed. However, that overwhelmed feeling quickly dissipated at the alcohol hit his system after the third beer. 

The tipsy dragon had fun telling the story from his point of view, each retelling to a new audience getting more showy as he created little sparks of flame around him to animate the tale.

As the dinner hour rolled approached, the group decided to have dinner there. Shortly after Rexis sent word back to the castle's cooks not to worry about them that evening, the head cook came by and informed the dragon that his meal was on the house that evening. 

Agni, being the tipsy and overly friendly dragon he was, got up and hugged the cook, thanking him. He then turned around and pulled Rexis, one of three at the table who didn't have any alcohol, out of his seat by the arm before wrapping an arm over the Prince's shoulders. This gesture caught the attention of everyone in the tavern as Rexis was well known to be touch averse and distant.

"A-Agni?" Rexis tried to pull out from under the dragon's arm, but the tipsy man had a firm grip on him. 

"I wanna make an announcement!" Agni rose his voice for all to hear, even though the crowd had already quieted down. 

Rexis looked up to Agni in bewilderment and the dragon smiled to him briefly before looking back to the crowd. "I declare the City of Lucir to be my new home! The citizens my new family! And if the fine Prince approves, I'll be working alongside the Mining Guild to make the mines safe like my mom, Sivani, used to do!" Agni then got a tad worried, his buried insecurities suddenly getting to him with the relative silence, but he kept a smile up. "If no one has any objections? Ahaha…"

Rexis seemed to pick up on Agni's worry and smiled to him. "I don't have any objections!" The elf then looked to the others gathered around. "I, Prince Rexis, welcome Agni as a citizen of Lucir! Not only that, I am also happy to announce that Agni the Crimson has been approved by my father, King Kevir Glacira, to become the next Benevolent Dragon of the Kingdom of Glace!" Rexis smiled to Agni again. "I'm sure Agni will do a fine job helping to keep our miners safe!"

That was enough to prompt the crowd into a loud round of cheering before the cheering slowly transitioned to a chant of Agni's name. Once the crowd calmed, the rest of the evening was filled with food, drinks, joyful storytelling, and laughter. The celebration that night ended with an impromptu fireworks display in the sky by a drunk but joyful Crimson Dragon.


	10. Visitors from the North

The next weekly Guild Meeting took longer than usual as it was the last one before the Quarterly Kingdom Meeting. The reason for the lengthy meeting was due to the Guild leaders giving both their weekly reports and the anticipated schedules for the following month while Rexis was away. The big topic of discussion was the preparations for Winter, as the caravan coming back with the Prince would have to have all the supplies needed from the Capital to last Lucir through the heavy snow season. 

Rexis glanced on occasion over to Agni, who looked particularly bored out of his mind. Marty also noticed as when he was done giving the Mining Guild's report he smiled and gestured to the Crimson. "I'll let our new Mine Safety Inspector give his own report."

Agni jolted a bit and looked at Marty and then Rexis with confusion. He then visibly registered what Marty said and sat up straight in his chair, clearing his throat. The boisterous dragon clearly tried too hard to sound professional. "Uh, right. Rex- I mean, my prince, these past few days I was able to repair the collapsed mine entrance and started adjusting the mana flows in and around the designated blast areas for better control and safety. I was also able to reinforce some weakened mineshaft walls to prevent possible collapses during the blasting operations. I'm unfortunately not able to detect mineral deposits deep in the earth like an Earthen Dragon, but I was able to locate and safely burn off the pockets of toxic fumes near the active areas of the mines. And I'll continue fine tuning the mine's mana flows in the coming weeks to months as needed." He paused a moment before awkwardly continuing. "Oh! T-that concludes my report." 

Rexis slightly bit his lower lip to keep from laughing at the sight of the topless dragon trying to act completely unlike himself. He also noted some of the others in the room trying to keep it together for the dragon's sake. At the conclusion of Agni's report, Rexis then smiled and nodded to the Crimson. "Understood. Thank you for your report, Agni. And next time you don't have to be so… stiff. We're all friends here."

"Oh, thank the gods…" Agni immediately slouched and rested his head on the back of the chair in relief, closing his eyes as if giving the report had taken all his energy. This elicited a few chuckles around the room, including from the Crimson himself. 

"In two weeks, however, we'll need you to act professional to make a good impression at the Capital." Rexis informed. "Some nobles I know of aren't too keen on informalities, dragon or not."

Agni groaned in dread and slouched further into the chair. "Do I _have_ to?"

"You don't _have_ to, but I'm just giving you a fair warning that you'll get odd looks if you don't. Even more so looking like that," Rexis sighed.

Agni pressed his mouth into a thin line before speaking again. "... That means I gotta wear a shirt, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it does." Rexis almost felt bad for the Crimson. Almost.

"Do I have to go?" The dragon whined.

At this point the others in the room were either stifling understanding chuckles or were looking at the dragon with pure sympathy. No one in the room liked going to the Quarterly Kingdom Meetings. But it was a necessary evil in order to represent Lucir and the Northern Mountains when called upon. 

Rexis sighed. He wished he could say no, to take on the burden of attending that dreadful meeting by himself. But Agni had to go to make his becoming the Benevolent of the Kingdom official. Rexis could say it all he wanted as a crown prince, he even had a letter from his father to prove it, but the King had to perform the traditional naming ceremony with Agni in person in order for the entire Kingdom to officially recognize it. Rexis honestly hated politics. "This time, yes, to officially receive your new title as the Benevolent of Glace. After this you don't have to attend unless _you_ want to. Please just... bear with it this one time."

"Fiiiiiiiine…" Agni sighed. 

About that time Abigail knocked on the door. “Prince Rexis, I have a message for you.”

“Come in,” Rexis looked to the door curiously as Abigail walked in and came around to where he sat as his desk. 

The Paladin spoke quickly. “We received word of a caravan of merchants and travellers at the northern border gates. They request permission to come to Lucir for trading per the agreement between Glace and Sigmun.”

Winstor crossed his arms, frowning. “S‘bout time! The lot’s a week late! Then again, when’re they ‘er on time...”

Rexis gave the Head Blacksmith a look of sympathy before turning back to Abigail. “Granted. If they’re late they may have run into trouble on the road. Make sure they have what they need for any medical attention and lodging.”

Abigail nodded. “Understood, my prince.” She then turned and quickly left, closing the door behind her. 

Marty sighed. “We do our best to keep a tight schedule but it’s hard to work around the _liberties _the Sigmun Republic takes with regards to our trade agreements.”

“Hmmm… Noted.” Rexis jotted it down on the piece of paper in front of him. His “To Do” list didn’t seem to shrink at all as time went on. Rexis couldn’t do much with regards to making sure the Sigmunite merchants arrive on time, but he could do something regarding the safety of the roads on Glace’s side of the border. 

The meeting wrapped up and due to how late it ran, Rexis decided to postpone the next assessment training until after he returned from the capital and he had Agni send word to the others about it. The Guild leaders, on the other hand, headed off to prepare for the merchant caravan. Blackbird and Rexis then took the time to make sure they were on the same page with regards to the going ons in the city and what needed to be done as the druid would be taking care of things for the following month.

While the Knights and various servants were preparing for the trip to the capital, around lunchtime the next day Rexis decided to go meet the Sigmunites himself, undercover of course. He wanted to know for himself if what he had heard was true regarding their general attitude and behavior. 

Rexis had barely stepped out into the castle courtyard when a loud voice met his ears. 

“And _where_ do you think you’re sneaking off to?” Abigail rushed over to the prince from the direction of the barracks.

The prince froze mid step and looked to the paladin with a sheepish smile. “I wrote a note this time!” 

“We have visitors from the Sigmun Republic. It’s not safe to-” The Head Knight started.

Rexis sighed. “When is it ever safe by _your_ standards?”  
  
Abigail blinked in surprise and then frowned. “If I had any say you’d have at least one of us by your side at all times.” 

“I’ll go with him then!” A certain dragon made the cheerfully loud offer as he came over to the two.

Rexis wasn’t sure whether to be happy for the bail out or not given it was Agni. 

Abigail crossed her arms and looked to the Crimson. “Fine. But make sure he stays in your sight the entire time. He has a habit of slipping away when we aren’t looking.” 

“When I was younger, yes. I know I can’t just go off exploring like the Twins do.” Rexis countered. “I was planning to stay within the city walls, don’t worry.” 

Agni wrapped an arm around the cloaked prince. “Yep! Don't worry, Abby! I won’t let anything happen to his pretty little head!”

Rexis blinked as he registered what Agni had said. The elf then ducked out from under the dragon's arm. He pulled his hood down over his face more and started towards the city. “There you go with the pretty thing again. Please don’t do that while we’re out.” 

Agni looked between Rexis and Abigail. The paladin gave him a frown before she sighed and shook her head, putting her hands on her hips. He then gave Abigail a bright smile. “Well, off we go! See you later Abby!” 

Rexis had already gotten to the gates before Agni caught up. The dragon chuckled. “You’re really in a rush, huh?”

“Not really a rush so much as I don’t want another lecture on safety.” Rexis muttered with an exasperated tone. 

“Ooooh, gotcha.” Agni laughed. “So where are we headed to this time?” The dragon asked as he waved to a couple of the orphans playing nearby. 

Rexis kept his gaze forward. “The market square. I want to see how these Sigmunites are really like for myself.”

“Oh. Ok.”

The sudden serious tone from Agni made Rexis stop and turn to pensive-looking dragon. “Ah, right… You didn’t exactly have the greatest experience with them. Are you sure you want to accompany me?” 

Agni gave Rexis an obviously forced smile. “Yes.” 

The elf frowned. “That’s a no.”

“Wh-? No! It’s not a no!” Agni furrowed his eyebrows as he put his fists on his hips. 

“Be honest with me, Agni.” Rexis stared him square in the eyes. He didn’t want Agni forcing himself to go interact with the Sigmunites on his behalf. 

Agni blinked at the sudden eye-contact. He then answered simply, a little hurt that the elf didn’t believe him. “Yes, I want to go with you.”

The prince noted the pained-look in the dragon’s eyes and he quickly averted his gaze. “Alright. Come on then…”

Rexis didn’t say much as the two navigated the streets. Agni, on the other hand, kept getting distracted by various people cheerfully greeting him and trying to strike up a conversation. When the Crimson finally noticed that he lost track of Rexis in the lunch crowd, he panicked a little. “Re-!” Agni cut himself off, remembering that the prince was undercover again. He then recalled that Rexis was planning to go to the market square so he just decided to go there and try to find him. 

Rexis was glad that Agni got distracted by various people as he was able to leave Agni with those who cared for him. The prince soon found the people he was looking for as they were very different in dress. Most were wearing heavier garments with more padding and furs since the Sigmun Republic was, in general, colder than the Kingdom of Glace. When Winter came, that region of the continent was as cold as the Mirar Peaks.

Various Sigmunite merchants had set up their shops among the usual Luciran stalls of the square. Rexis noticed a Sigmunite selling various crops and fruit he didn't recognize and went over to look. 

"Aye! Welcome friend! Have a look around! And feel free to ask any questions you may have!" The human man smiled broadly to Rexis.

Rexis nodded as he examined the produce. "What is this?" He picked up an unfamiliar fruit. It was about the size of a mango with tough, dark green, skin.

"Ah, that's a gaothi fruit. Don't let the sweet scent fool ya! It's got a tart flavor." The merchant chuckled.

"I see. How much?" Rexis asked with a simple smile. 

"Two copper each." The man answered plainly. He then looked to the prince curiously. "I wouldn't have taken someone like you to like tart fruit!"

"Oh?" Rexis gave him a curious look back as he reached into the pouch hanging off his belt. He then handed over two copper as the merchant spoke.

"You just seem like someone who'd prefer something sweet." The man shrugged and then chuckled. "But I'm not one to judge! I like gaothis, too! Oh, but you'll want to peel it first. The skin is edible, but it's a bit tough to bite through." 

Rexis chuckled lightly. "I see. I look forward to trying this later then. Thank you." He turned to head on for the next stall, giving a slight wave to the man.

"No, no. Thank _you_! Hope ya like it! We'll be here for a couple more days so feel free to come by for more if ya do!" The merchant informed as he waved back.

Rexis simply nodded and continued on. He visited a few more stalls and found that, while they were quite talkative, the Signumite merchants were mostly friendly. Then again, they were merchants, being friendly was a selling tactic.

When the sun climbed to its peak in the sky, the prince decided to sit down on a bench by the central fountain and observe for a while. He was glad to see that the friendly attitude was somewhat genuine when just chatting with other Sigmunites. He even saw Marty having a good laugh with some of the visitors over by the merchant selling alcohol.

"There you are!" A burst of wind and the sound of wings flapping accompanied the voice.

Rexis jolted and grabbed his hood to keep it in place. He then turned to an exasperated Agni as the dragon landed next to the prince. He gave the Agni a sheepish smile. "Indeed. Here I am."

Agni let his wings de-materialize before sitting down on the bench. "You know, if you went back to the castle without me, Abby-"

"I know, I know." Rexis sighed. He noticed a few in the crowd waved to the dragon happily while a few Sigmunites looked nervous. However, they didn't do anything out of the ordinary as they went back to what they were doing. He also noticed a few Lucirans pointing to Agni while cheerfully talking to some of the Sigmunites and they soon had a look of relief. Rexis could only assume that the people of Lucir who came to know and care for Agni were reassuring the visitors that the dragon was a Benevolent.

"This place is definitely livelier than usual." Agni commented as he looked around. "I like it!"

"Market days when merchants from other regions or countries are usually livelier. There's always new things to discover." Rexis held up the fruit he bought for the Crimson to see.

Agni looked over and took the fruit from Rexis, immediately starting to peel it with his claws. "You've never had a gaothi?" 

Rexis blinked in surprise at how casually Agni took it from him. And at the fact that he didn't feel the need to protest against the dragon just taking it without asking. Maybe it was the fact that Agni wordlessly offered to peel it for him. "No? The merchant said it tastes tart despite the sweet smell." 

Agni laughed and handed Rexis a slice. "Try it."

Rexis took the slice of fruit but watched with confusion as Agni popped a chunk of the peel into his mouth. "You just- But that's the skin. Isn't it tough?"

Agni quickly chewed and swallowed the peel. "The skin's the best part!" The dragon laughed again. "Eat that and then I'll give you a bit to try."

Rexis narrowed his eyes. "Alright…" He bit into the slice of fruit, reeling back from how sour it was. But as he forced himself to chew it, the sour subsided to a sweet flavor. He hummed and finished off the slice he had, visibly grimacing at the burst of sour again.

Agni's smile turned to more of a teasing smirk. "How was it?" 

"S-sour… Extremely so. But then sweet." Rexis frowned. "I liked the flavor when it turned sweet, but that initial kick is hard to get over."

The dragon handed a small piece of the peel to Rexis. "Try this then. I know it's harder for Small Ones to chew, but I think you'll like it."

"Hmmm, alright." The prince took the peel and ate it. It was definitely hard to chew, like a tough piece of jerky that was too dried out. But after a moment he realized that there was only the sweet flavor. He hummed and looked to Agni with a smile while he kept working on the peel.

"Right?!" Agni smiled broadly back. "An old couple who gave me shelter up north used tiny shavings of the skin for flavor. That's how I found out about gaothis." He then took a large slice of the fruit itself and ate it. 

Rexis finally finished eating the peel then rubbed his aching jaw. "It's delicious, but that's quite the workout…"

"Hmm?" Agni still had his mouth full as he offered some more fruit to the prince. 

Rexis held his hand up. "I'm good."

Agni shrugged before swallowing. "More for me then!" He then took a large bite out of the fruit, nearly finishing it off.

Rexis looked around the square as activity was picking up more with the lunch crowd coming to look at the merchant wares. He pulled his hood down a little lower over his face, the shade hiding his eyes more.

"Afraid someone's gonna recognize ya?" Agni commented quietly.

"Maybe…" He sighed. "With a smaller city it's harder to blend in as people know each other better. And seeing the same traveller at random times can be suspicious. I ought to change up my disguise next time..."

"Huh… Never thought of that." Agni then finished off the fruit.

"Do you _ever_ think about blending in?" Rexis teased the dragon, giving him a playful smirk.

Agni blinked then smirked back. "Nope! It's not like I can hide these." He tugged at one of his own horns with one hand and pointed to the scales on his cheeks with the other. He then frowned and spoke far more quietly. "Well, I _can…_ But completely suppressing my mana to look human for too long gives me a killer headache. All things considered, that's not as bad as my mom though. She gets a rash on her arms and it lingers for up to a week. Never seen dad do it so I don't know what his reaction is." Agni shrugged again.

"Oh, I didn't know you could blend in entirely." Rexis brought a hand up to his chin, thinking.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway. Dragons don't tend to live _among_ Small Ones. Living nearby and working alongside is far more common. But… I like it." Agni looked around the market, smiling again. "It's not so lonely and most people here are lively and kind!"

Rexis frowned as he heard yelling in the distance. "Yes… Sometimes too lively." He looked around trying to pinpoint where the yelling was coming from. That's when he noticed several of his Knights along with Etha and a few of the elite guards rushing through the square to one of the side streets. He hummed as he watched the crowd generally turn to look towards the commotion.

"Someone seems to be causing trouble." Agni commented as he stood up. He took a few steps forward before stopping and looking back to the prince. 

Rexis also stood but didn't move. Blackbird's words echoed in his mind about not needing to get involved in every little problem that happened in the city. He needed to have faith in those who have kept this place running smoothly for so long. "Let them handle it. We're not needed… Yet." He slipped his left hand under his long cloak to rest on the hilt of his hidden sword. 

Agni's gaze then shifted to behind Rexis, his expression turning worried. "I'm not so sure about that." 

Rexis turned to see a large group of armed Sigmunites shouting and shoving people aside, Sigmunite merchants included. "Over there!" "He's over there!" "We finally found the damn dragon!" "Get him!"

Rexis took a guarded stance, gaze hardening. Those around him and Agni cleared out to let the men though, though he heard a crowd gathering behind them. The elf gripped his sword tightly as he could see the fear in the people's expressions in front of him. He also heard the concerned whispers and chatter behind him. The prince's blood boiled with anger despite the calm exterior he kept.

His citizens and welcomed visitors were _afraid_ in _his_ city.

As the men approached, Rexis took a step forward. He raised his voice but kept his emotions out of it. "What business do you have in this city? Surely you didn't come to just cause trouble!"

The group moved to keep going despite Rexis as he was the only person standing between them and Agni. But the half-orc man at the front raised a hand, shouting. "Hold up! This man has the balls to stand between us and the dragon!" The rest of the group roared in laughter, some shouted to just push him aside.

“If there is an issue, surely it can be worked out like the civilized people we are.” Rexis suggested calmly. 

“_Civilized?_ Us, yeah, sure. But _that dragon_ is anything but civilized!” The half-orc glared at Agni.

Rexis scoffed. “Currently he’s more civilized than you lot. Pray tell, who are you and what are your grievances against him? What is so grave that you would try to take him by force and endanger those around you?”

“He’s probably putting on an act before he goes on a rampage!” The half-orc yelled and several in the mob behind him made verbal agreements. He then glared to Rexis. “You wanna know who I am? The name’s Grant. A humble hunter in a small town where that _monster_ came through and disturbed the peace! Scared our wives and children and terrorized our livestock! The sheep have been skittish and the cows are afraid to go out to pasture, making it more difficult to feed them properly so the quality of our food has suffered! The pigs hardly eat anything! The hens have barely laid any eggs since _it_ traveled through town._ It _must pay for disrupting our livelihoods! Adequate money and treasure from its horde will do, but if need be we will make it pay with blood!”

Rexis seemed to stare through the armed men as the half-orc listed their supposed grievances against Agni. He listened to Grant, but he also heard the voices of his Knights asking people to let them through as they joined the crowd behind him. After the man leading the mob finished his tirade, the prince spoke up, frowning. “That’s it?”

“Yes.” Grant said with a huff, tossing a glare at Agni. 

Agni took a step forward to stand by Rexis, but the elf held up a hand before the dragon could say anything. Agni looked to Rexis in surprise, but stayed silent. He honestly felt hurt and confused as he remembered these people. They drove him out of town before he even said a word to them. If he remembered correctly, he was napping in the sun-warmed pasture before the sheep and cows surrounded him in their passive grazing. The men were the ones who scared their own livestock while trying to scare him away.

Rexis glared at the half-orc. “Have you no shame, you arrogant bastard?” He growled through his teeth. 

“Excuse me?!” Grant started but Rexis cut him off.

Rexis spoke firmly, a threatening undertone laced his voice. “Dragons are to be revered, not treated like lowly thugs. _No one_ tames a dragon. _No one_ gives a dragon orders against its wishes, much less demand it reparations for _emotional damage_ to your livestock. The livestock that you yourself slaughter come Winter for sustenance regardless of how they _feel_.” 

Rexis raised his voice more, taking a step forward as a cold wind kicked up. “A dragon is a living force of nature, the very embodiment of the elements. They command the mana that flows through all, including your very soul. They adjust the ley lines of the earth itself to keep the elements in balance. Only the _gods_ could ever command a dragon against its will. As such, a dragon does what it wants, regardless of what a lowly _arrogant_ mortal wants.” 

Rexis took another step forward and pointed at the man’s chest. “You should be _grateful_ that a dragon chose to leave every hair on your sheep and your_ insufferable_ heads in tact. You should be showing reverence to a Benevolent Dragon, not demanding reparations for simply existing and travelling through the area!” 

Rexis’ voice dropped to a quieter, cold tone as an unnatural frost began to form on everything and everyone around him. “Leave now or I _will_ consider your egregious and _aggressive_ actions as a declaration of war and report it to our King.”

“Ha! A lowly citizen like you wouldn’t dare. And I doubt your _passive King _would listen to such a complaint and risk war with our country.” Grant glared back. “So, move out of the way and hand over that damned dragon or we’ll cut through you, too!” The half-orc sung his mace around and hit the ground with it, cracking the stone road underneath.

Rexis simply pushed his cloak back, showing his sword and resting his hand on the hilt once more. A collective gasp rippled through the crowd as the Lucirans recognized the prince by his sword, despite his hood still covering his face. “Are you trying to command me, a prince? I showed you and your people hospitality after your long travels. Then you begin to riot and aggressively make demands in my city’s streets. Demand that I hand over one of our own over _a natural occurrence by a living force of nature?_” Rexis bit back at him as ice began to form on the ground around the two of them. The sky began to darken as the wind kicked up more, pushing Rexis’ hood down. “Would you dare march into the sky to demand a blizzard pay back your lost crops? Would you dare try to sail into the seas and demand the tsunami to return the lives taken? Or demand a true monster to pay such emotional reparations for scaring your children when _you_ told the legends of it?”

Grant looked at Rexis, stunned for a moment. He then hardened his glare again but before he could say anything Rexis shouted for all to hear. 

“No! You do not demand the forces of nature to do your bidding! Even our magick that can manipulate nature submits to the will of the ley lines! And _dragons_ command the ley lines! Return to your homeland in shame for forgetting your place! I, the Ice Prince, Rexis Glacira, will be _sure_ to write to your Council of this shameless act of aggression against the_ Benevolent_ Dragon who calls this land his home and the people his family!”

Rexis lowered his voice one more time but remained loud enough for all nearby to hear his declaration. “You are no longer welcome here, Grant. Leave our kingdom now or face the consequences before you.” He then turned away to walked back to the castle. The brewing storm began to subside.

“You call _me_ arrogant? You damn _princes_ and your looking down on everyone else! _War it is!!_” Grant raised his mace but before he could bring it down on the prince, a hand coated in fire gripped his wrist. Glowing eyes glared into his, only inches away. The half-orc hollered in pain. He nearly dropped the mace on himself as he stumbled back and tried to pull his hand away.

Shouts and screams echoed through the crowd and those nearest to the commotion backed up, away from the flames and the clearly pissed dragon.

“You heard the prince.” Agni growled, letting go of the man. He simply stood over Grant as the half-orc fell to the ground. The dragon glared down at the Sigmunite as more dragon features appeared along his body like a shifting mirage. “Something I thought everyone knew was how _territorial _we dragons are of those we choose as family. Well... Let me remind you!” He stomped on the ground beside the man, flames erupting around his foot for a split second. “I will_ not_ allow you to bring harm to the prince or any of the good people here without consequences.” Agni then looked up at the others in the mob. “That goes for _all of you_.”

Grant’s supporters shuffled backwards, fear gripping their entire beings. They began apologizing profusely to Agni, swearing that they wouldn’t go against a dragon ever again as they scrambled to leave. 

Rexis signaled Etha and the guards nearby, whispering to the Captain when she came over. “Make sure those ruffians leave, but also give them time to get what they need to travel home. I suspect they are mostly innocent in this matter with how quick they were to apologize, but I don’t want those who are willing to cause trouble to remain here. The merchants are as much a victim of this as our citizens, so they may stay. This man, however…” Rexis glared back at Grant, who was gripping his seared arm. “Give him basic medical attention and send him on his way. I doubt his traveling companions will take such pity on him. But it’s none of my concern once they are outside our borders.”

Etha nodded. “Understood, my prince.” She and the guards then set off to perform the task. Agni, Marty, and several others nearby assisted in rounding up the rioters.

Adam spoke up as Rexis passed by the line of Knights. “Are you sure that’s wise, my prince?”

“Yes. Everyone gets at least one chance to correct their attitude.” Rexis said simply before continuing onward. The crowd parted for the prince without protest. Whispers met his ears as he passed, some of surprise that he was hidden among the regular citizens, others commenting on him truly being the Ice Prince with how the weather turned with his anger.

Lilliana caught up with him before he arrived at the castle. “You’re getting better with silently casting blizzard spells. Though the clouds you formed overhead were not the most… coherent.”

“My attention was split.” Rexis replied simply. “I simply wanted to get the point across that Grant was outclassed and has _no_ power or influence here. But Agni did a better job at that than I.” The prince sighed slightly.

“True… Well, he _is_ a dragon.” The mage pointed out simply.

“That he is. And I fully expected that attack on me once I turned my back, but I should still thank him for coming to my aid faster than my own reflexes.” The elf mused.

“I assume you turned your back for dramatic effect then?” The lady in purple asked, an eyebrow raised. 

“Yes and no. It was a chance for Grant to disengage and leave on his own terms while he still could. Attacking a prince is a grave offense here, even the Sigmunites know that.” Rexis explained simply.

The mage hummed as the two arrived at the castle.

Rexis excused himself from the Knight and headed straight for his private office. He knew exactly what he was going to write with regards to the incident. Not to the Sigmunite Council, but to his father for further advice. The prince had the feeling this wasn't going to be the only incident like this. 

Rexis sighed as he started to write. While he would be heading for the capital in a couple days, he didn't expect to have any reasonable amount of time alone with his father to discuss the issue. So, something written for when the King had time to respond to it was better than constantly asking for time. 

About the time Rexis finished the letter, the office door opened. He was about to tell off the visitor for not knocking, but when he caught a glimpse of dark skin and a red tail out of the corner of his eye, he simply sighed. "How'd it go out there?" 

"Most of them didn't resist. But that Grant guy kept going on and on… So Etha asked me to let them take care of it and to come back here.” The dragon shrugged when he saw Rexis’ look of sympathy. “I’m used to it.” He then flopped down onto the couch near the fireplace and stretched out on it, turning himself over to face towards the backrest. He closed his eyes and the only thing indicating he was still awake was that the tip of his tail was tapping the floor in agitation - a subconscious habit he didn’t realize he was doing.

Rexis frowned seeing the dragon… pouting? He honestly wasn’t sure what to make of the scene before him. “You shouldn’t have to be.” The elf sighed. “Used to it or not… It’s still bothering you, isn’t it?”

Agni grumbled something incoherent to the prince, but Rexis thought he heard something to the effect of “I’ll get over it.”

The prince's frown deepened. He hadn’t seen the dragon this down since the evening they first met. “... Need a hug?”

Agni’s tail stopped moving. After a moment of silence, he looked over his shoulder at the prince. “You... wouldn’t mind?”

“I wouldn’t offer if I did.” Rexis gave Agni a reassuring look as he stood up and walked over to the dragon. 

Agni blinked in surprise before he got up off the couch. He didn’t say anything else as he accepted Rexis’ offer of a hug. 

Rexis could feel Agni trembling slightly. He wasn’t sure what to say, so he said what came first to his mind as he gently patted the larger man’s back. “Agni, don’t worry about them. You’re here with us now and _we_ want you here. You’re our friend. An amazing one at that.”

“... Really?” Agni pulled away and held the prince by the shoulders, searching Rexis’ eyes for confirmation. 

Rexis let the dragon hold his gaze. He wanted to reassure his friend and if that included letting Agni see his resolve on the issue in his eyes, so be it. The elf nodded. “Really. Beyond the obvious of helping out around town, especially with the mines, you’ve also been… quite the emotional support. Especially for some of us who are not so easy to deal with.” Rexis naturally averted his gaze with the last part but caught himself and made a point to look back to the red-orange eyes that were locked on his own cerulean ones. He then gave a sheepish smile, knowing Agni would catch on that he was talking about himself.

Agni’s mood visibly lightened and then he gave the elf a hug that was much tighter than before. “Thanks, Rex.” 

Rexis expected the second hug so he made sure not to flinch out of habit. He couldn’t help but smile, glad that he could help the dragon feel better. Even if only a little bit. “You’re welcome, Agni.”


End file.
